With the hoopla surrounding both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions over, the emergency management world can get back to its regularly scheduled program of preparing, mitigating, responding, and recovering from predominantly natural hazards.

However, during the weekend of August 25, 2012, the emergency management and Republican National Convention (RNC) worlds collided as Tropical Storm Isaac threatened to become a Category 1 or Category 2 hurricane—impacting the start of the RNC.

Fortunately, in 2011, Dewberry assisted the City of Tampa—the mayor, city council members, and area stakeholders—with an Executive Leadership Training Seminar which played out a theoretical Category 2 storm impacting the Tampa Bay area during the week of the RNC.

The 2011 Exercise

Stakeholders at the 2011 Executive Leadership Training Seminar included staff from Hillsborough County, the U.S. Coast Guard, MacDill Air Force Base, and TECO Energy, among other entities. The training, facilitated by Dewberry's Ellis Stanley, provided the mayor with a timeline of events and key decision points that would have to be made as the simulated disaster unfolded. This gave the newly-elected mayor, council members, and emergency management leadership an opportunity to become acquainted with existing planning and response procedures in advance.

One year later, the exact scenario nearly played out as Tropical Storm Isaac threatened Tampa before turning towards the residents of Louisiana and Mississippi.

Tropical Storm Isaac and the RNC

The City of Tampa's Consequence Management Emergency Operations Center (CM EOC) (above) was already staffed with various personnel representing local, state, and national levels of government in order to ensure cohesive planning for any natural hazard or public health events that may have occurred during the RNC.

The Joint Information Center was also housed with the CM EOC members and allowed for an effective exchange of information during the threat of Isaac, as well as other RNC events over the course of the week. The City's Executive Policy Group was able to interact with experts working at the CM EOC to help guide decisions in order to ensure the safety of residents and visitors.

Dewberry provided training and orientation presentations for the CM EOC and also worked with the City's Emergency Coordinator, Chauncia Willis, to create a CM EOC Concept of Operations plan. This plan, which was distributed to all 15 operation centers, provided staff with procedures and contact information to support the CM EOC throughout the convention. Although the threat of Hurricane Isaac cancelled some convention events on Monday, the rest of the week went smoothly as the CM EOC was able to monitor and direct resources as needed.

After the RNC

The City of Tampa's CM EOC demobilized during the weekend of September 1, as staff returned to their normal locations and activities. We're thankful proper planning was able to facilitate effective decision making during a potentially dangerous situation. The City of Tampa's efforts shined brightly while in the public spotlight.