FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
With the Atlantic hurricane season approaching, Joint Base San Antonio leadership and staff met last week at the San Antonio Emergency Operations Center at Brooks City-Base to review the process for requesting military aid by state and local governments.
District Fire Chief Larry Trevino is the soon-to-be appointed emergency management coordinator for San Antonio.
"It's good to see who we need to call," Mr. Trevino said as he addressed Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Byron Hepburn, 59th Medical Wing commander, and Brig. Gen. Leonard Patrick, 502nd Air Base Wing/Joint Base San Antonio commander during the meeting.
Two natural disaster nightmare scenarios keep some Texas emergency planners up at night, according to Col. Sean Kavanagh, Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer for Texas.
One event is a category four or five hurricane affecting the Rio Grande Valley resulting in catastrophic flooding. Colonel Kavanagh said one to two-million people could be evacuated to San Antonio.
Colonel Kavanagh said the other disaster would involve an earthquake along the New Madrid Fault which affects several southern and Midwestern states. Quakes along this fault line in the early 1800s rang church bells on the east coast and caused the Mississippi River to run backwards. A quake today in this densely populated area could result in massive death and property damage.
If San Antonio became an evacuation point during a natural or man-made disaster which threatened Texas or surrounding state, JBSA could be asked by state and local authorities to provide major support in evacuee and aircraft sheltering, transportation, medical care and other needs. The joint base structure mandated by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure legislation streamlines the process for requesting military resources.
"In the past they had to contact each base [Lackland, Randolph and Fort Sam Houston]. Civil authorities now have one point of contact for requesting help, and that's the 502nd Air Base Wing," General Patrick said.