Over the past three days Naval Station Great Lakes (NSGL) conducted Exercise Citadel Rumble/Reliant Midwest to evaluate the training and readiness of sailors and civilians to respond to emergency situations. The exercise was a regularly scheduled event.
    “These exercises are conducted four times a year per installation to better prepare first responders for mass casualties and anti-terrorism,” said Mark Wegge, Navy Region Midwest training director.
     The exercise consisted of two events. The first scenerio on Tuesday, simulated a landslide east of Bldg. 62. The simulated landslide struck a fuel storage tank and caused a fuel spill that entered Lake Michigan causing a large environmental incident in the simulated scenerio.
     “This event allowed NAVSTA to practice how we would respond to a ‘what if’ scenario,” said Randy Carmen, installation training officer and scene controller. “Since we had the landslide a few years ago, the possibility of a slide taking out the fuel tank is more of a possibility. By going through the process and reviewing our procedures, we became more prepared just in case the scenario ever becomes a reality.”
    The second event conducted Wednesday, simulated the National Weather Service issuing a tornado warning for Northeastern Cook County and Eastern Lake County, with a funnel reported in the Libertyville area with winds over 40 miles per hour in the simulated scenerio.
    NSGL emergency dispatch notified personnel of the danger and issued verbal instructions to take immediate shelter. Lake County also simulated tornado warning sirens.