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DisasterAWARE® Training and Preparedness Exercises
Using our extensive hazard data and unique DisasterAWARE platform, we can help you simulate realistic hazard scenarios to help gain a deeper understanding of hazard impacts on communities. We also can assist with exercising preparedness plans in advance of real-world events. Our exercise program can help test complex networks of organizations and response activities—making sure stakeholders respond effectively under high-pressure and ever-changing circumstances. Our experts can support any type of exercise and hazard scenario. We also provide online training and instructor-led training on our DisasterAWARE platform.
Your DisasterAWARE training starts here
Watch our self-paced DisasterAWARE training videos to master the basics or request an instructor-led DisasterAWARE training on-site, at your location or ours. We can help you accomplish nearly any training objective.
Disaster Preparedness Exercises
Let us help you design and conduct scenario-based exercises in a simulated environment ahead of a real-world crisis. We support tabletop exercises, functional exercises, and full-scale exercises. Our capabilities include:
Scenario development and design
Event scripting and integration
Data integration
Training
DisasterAWARE communications
Subject matter expertise / best practices
Exercise Options
Exercises help decision makers identify as much about what goes right with disaster preparedness plans as what goes wrong. We’ve helped organizations around the world design and conduct exercises and incorporate lessons learned into planning and preparedness activities.
Scenario-based Training
- Often focused on policy or strategic issues
- Smaller scope, less complex
Tabletop Exercises
- Provides facilitated analysis of an emergency situation
- Examines policies, procedures, and operations to validate and refine plans as needed.
- Informal, stress-free environment
Functional Exercises
- Fully simulated exercise
- Realistic event, testing response capabilities in time-pressured environment
- Involves multiple functions, agencies, and organizations
Full-scale Exercises
- Tests regional, national, subnational disaster management systems
- Simulates real event as closely as possible.
- Mobilizes emergency personnel and victims (actors), equipment, and resources
Benefits of our exercise
support program
- Leverage the best information to solve problems and make life-saving decisions using DisasterAWARE
- Accurately simulate real-world hazards and impacts based on DisasterAWARE historical hazard data
- Identify planning weaknesses and time-saving measures
- Reveal gaps in resources and information
- Improve organizational coordination and communications
- Clarify roles and responsibilities
- Enhance individual and team performance
Learn more about our customized exercises and training solutions
Recent Training Events and Exercises
PDC supports humanitarian aid and disaster relief during RIMPAC 2024 exercise
Oahu, Hawai'i—Pacific Disaster Center (PDC), in partnership with the United States government and twenty-nine other nations, international organizations, and interagency partners, provided technical assistance and expertise during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024—the world’s largest international maritime exercise. The theme of this year’s exercise was Partners: Integrated and Prepared.
“The Rim of the Pacific exercise has grown over the years to be the world’s largest and premier joint combined maritime training opportunity,” said Vice Adm. John Wade, commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet and RIMPAC 2024 Combined Task Force (CTF) commander.
“The exercise’s purpose is to build relationships, to enhance interoperability and proficiency and, ultimately, contribute to the peace and stability in the vitally important Indo-Pacific region.”
Held at Pearl Harbor, Oahu, from July 1-15, 2024, RIMPAC 2024 included a large-scale humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR) exercise involving eight countries, five ships, five landing craft, five aircraft, multiple land forces, and over 2,500 total participants. The event also featured a statewide exercise with Hawai’i Healthcare Emergency Management. The Center supported both the academic and execution phases of the HADR exercise.
“In this year’s iteration of RIMPAC, I had the privilege of partnering with PDC once again in an effort to create as life-like a training scenario as possible," said USAID’s Shawn Sippin, Humanitarian Assistance Advisor to the Military.
"That goal was bolstered by the Center's expertise and resources in RIMPAC 2024. In addition to the pleasure of working with PDC staff during RIMPAC, the DisasterAWARE platform the Center manages continues to demonstrate value in all stages of the simulated disaster management cycle for RIMPAC participants.”
“PDC staff also provided valuable information during daily update briefs for military leadership that had contributed forces to conduct HADR activities in the simulated exercise. The Center's DisasterAWARE system also played a central role in the newly released task manager application for foreign militaries to use for the 2024 RIMPAC exercise. It has been great to see how PDC's contributions to supporting military involvement in HADR activities have continued to expand and integrate into international systems in use by many foreign militaries looking to exercise their own disaster response readiness. I look forward to seeing where else the Center’s skills and resources can be plugged in to create a more effective and efficient humanitarian response for populations affected by disasters."
PDC's DisasterAware system is used by a coalition of military and humanitarian agencies to assess disaster impacts in real time.
The first week of the exercise included an academic portion to enhance participants understanding of international guidelines and norms of foreign military support to disaster relief operations. Over 150 attendees from participating countries were in attendance.
Subject matter experts from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), United Nations OCHA, World Food Programme, USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM), and Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre (RHCC) shared presentations on their respected roles during a disaster relief operation. Led by Robert Kalei Miller, PDC Senior Disaster Services Analyst and Liaison to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the Center shared its role in HADR, DisasterAWARE as an information-sharing platform. It highlighted the Center’s real-time advanced analytics about potential disaster impacts and humanitarian needs. The academics course laid the foundation for the scenario and execution phase the following week.
PDC's Robert Kalei Miller briefs the room on DisasterAWARE's informational and analytical capabilities.
“We have the immensely valuable opportunity to train in the Hawaiian Islands and surrounding ranges—nowhere else in the world provides a more realistic and relevant training opportunity,” said Wade.
Vice Adm. Wade also emphasized, “Environmental stewardship is a top priority during RIMPAC, and all participants will observe protective measures for cultural and natural resources throughout the exercise.”
The scenario for the exercise was a Category Two hurricane striking fictitious islands in the Pacific, modeled after the Hawaiian Islands, requiring foreign military aid. PDC supported and executed the scenario injects by providing estimated impacts using the All-Hazards Impact Model (AIM) and realistic situational awareness products of damage assessments, needs assessments, and critical lifeline infrastructure status. At the RIMPAC HADR Camp on Ford Island, the DisasterAWARE Exercise platform was used to provide real-time scenario information as the common operating picture. The Center played a role in the Disaster Coordination Center and White Cell, developing daily disaster coordination center briefs, and situational awareness products, and updating data to feed into the DisasterAWARE Exercise platform, which also fed RHCC’s OPERA system. PDC received high praise in the after-action follow-up for information-sharing availability and the Center’s role in the exercise.
Through the exercise, PDC strengthened relationships with humanitarian and military counterparts in the Indo-Pacific. The Center anticipates continued participation in future RIMPAC exercises and plans to integrate lessons learned from this year’s activity into its long-term training and development program.
About PDC Winner of the 2022 UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction, the University of Hawai’i’s Pacific Disaster Center is a global leader in the innovation and application of life-saving disaster management science, early warning technology, and advanced analytics. Our risk intelligence products provide decision-makers with the essential insights and information needed to act early to protect communities from hazards and build more sustainable, resilient communities for a safer world. The Center’s DisasterAWARE platform is used by tens of thousands of disaster management and humanitarian assistance practitioners around the globe. DisasterAWARE is the most comprehensive, ready-made “Early Warning for All” solution that provides global, multi-hazard early warning for natural and manmade hazards. DisasterAWARE offers advanced situational awareness tools including the highest resolution all-hazards impact model, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI)-augmented information. The Center’s public Disaster Alert app, powered by DisasterAWARE, has been downloaded over 3.2 million times worldwide.
PDC reunites with partners in Barbados for Tradewinds 2024 multinational exercise
After concluding a year-long engagement with Barbados in which the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) presented the results of the country's National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment, the Center reunited with its partners at the Barbados Department of Emergency Management (DEM) to participate in the 2024 Tradewinds exercise. Tradewinds is a large-scale, multinational exercise that takes place in different locations every year. This year it was held in Barbados between May 4 – 16, 2024.
“Tradewinds is an important exercise that not only strengthens our emergency management capabilities in Barbados, but the CDEMA regional response mechanism as a whole. Our partnership with PDC who has joined us in Barbados to support the Tradewinds event, enhances the exercise through the application of new hazard and risk data we've recently developed together during the Barbados National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment."
—Barbados DEM CAPT Robert Harewood
Tradewinds is a large-scale, annual exercise that takes place in different locations throughout the Caribbean to improve interoperability, crisis readiness, and to help address shared security challenges. This year’s exercise garnered over 1,000 participants from civilian agencies, military, and observer/trainer teams from multiple countries who train together in ground, air, sea, and cyber operations.
https://youtube.com/shorts/_9UHZaFzK8s?feature=shared
The PDC team finalizes testing and deployment of new automated earthquake hazard impact assessment products. Five more automated hazard products are queued for release in the near future.
“We were excited to put the recently concluded assessment for Barbados into immediate operational use during Tradewinds 24, especially as hurricane season approaches.
The disaster management training we conducted with partners at the Barbados Department of Emergency Management headquarters in support of the exercise emphasized the use of data and decision support systems to improve speed, coordination, and effectiveness of response efforts. Having access to the Barbados national assessment data in a centralized location through PDC’s DisasterAWARE decision support and risk intelligence platform exemplified the value of our collective efforts."
—PDC’s Senior Disaster Management Specialist and Response Lead
According to Bosse, PDC supported the entire Tradewinds 24 planning phase to ensure the goals and objectives of the humanitarian assistance and disaster response portion of the exercise could be achieved.
With support from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and their Starlink, PDC established a real-time Common Operating Picture (COP) at the scene, crucial for coordinating response efforts and guiding personnel incoming to event location and those operating at the Barbados Emergency Operations Center.
The event was co-led by the Barbados DEM and the Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC) and encompassed Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), Medical Evacuations (MEDEVAC), and Incident Command System (ICS) operations.
PDC has supported the Tradewinds exercises for the last three years, and remotely supported previous years as well, using DisasterAWARE as the common operational picture for sharing information and coordinating multi-agency response activities.
These are important activities, said Bosse, because they strengthen regional partnerships and multi-lateral humanitarian assistance capabilities during real-world events. This is critically important as the region prepares for the upcoming hurricane season.
“Exercise Tradewinds provides a unique opportunity for allies and partners in the region to develop and enhance HADR skills sets, build trust and enhance interoperability when responding to natural disasters."
—Lt Col Simpson from the Canadian Joint Operations Command (CJOC)
Tradewinds focuses on building capacity for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), regional agencies and institutions, and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) as well as partner nations engaged in the exercise from the Caribbean Basin, U.S., Canada, France, Netherlands, and United Kingdom.
About PDC
Winner of the 2022 UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction, the University of Hawai’i’s Pacific Disaster Center is a global leader in the innovation and application of life-saving disaster management science, early warning technology, and advanced analytics. Our risk intelligence products provide decision-makers with the essential insights and information needed to act early to protect communities from hazards and build more sustainable, resilient communities for a safer world.
The Center’s DisasterAWARE platform is used by tens of thousands of disaster management and humanitarian assistance practitioners around the globe. DisasterAWARE is the most comprehensive, ready-made “Early Warning for All” solution that provides global, multi-hazard early warning for natural and manmade hazards. DisasterAWARE offers advanced situational awareness tools including the highest resolution all-hazards impact model, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI)-augmented information. The Center’s public Disaster Alert app, powered by DisasterAWARE, has been downloaded over 3.2 million times worldwide.
PDC participates in ARDEX, ASEAN’s multinational disaster simulation exercise
Yogyakarta, Indonesia—The University of Hawaii’s Pacific Disaster Center joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during a full-scale, multinational exercise from August 1-4. The exercise, held every other year, is a full-scale simulation to test, practice, review effectiveness and evaluate regional emergency response mechanisms. This year’s exercise which was held in the Yogyakarta province of Indonesia and included a tabletop exercise (TTX) session, followed by a full-scale simulation of a major earthquake—a common occurrence in the region.
The exercise involved over 500 people, including about 380 active participants from the host’s national and local Disaster Management Organizations, known as BNPB and BPBD, respectively, and representatives from other ASEAN countries, the ASEAN Secretariat, and AHA Centre. About 180 international guests and Indonesia partners in disaster mitigation including representatives from the UN, Australia, the U.S., Japan, and Switzerland also attended.
Lieutenant General Suharyanto, Head of Indonesia's national disaster management agency BNPB.
"We hope ASEAN countries can share and transfer knowledge to each other regarding disaster risk mitigation. And through ARDEX, we also seek ways to mitigate and reduce disaster risks by embracing multiple stakeholders in the related fields."
—Lieutenant General Suharyanto, Head of Indonesia's national disaster management agency BNPB
According to Suharyanto, ASEAN should consider technological innovation in dealing with disaster threats, but the implementation should be in line with the local wisdom and cultures of each member country.
“We were honored to be invited once more by our longtime friends and partners from ASEAN to attend ARDEX. This year’s exercise clearly demonstrated how far ASEAN’s regional response mechanisms have come and improved over the last 19 years, since the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. The region can now proudly serve as a model for others, and sharing their expertise and knowledge is pivotal to our joint mission of saving lives and building national and regional resilience.”—Ray Shirkhodai, PDC’s Executive Director
PDC started collaborating with the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management, representing all 10 nations, in April 2004, months before the catastrophic Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Since then, it has helped with disaster risk reduction initiatives in the region, including early engagements for ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) strategic work plans, and beyond.
According to Shirkhodai, early on, the Center helped with assessing tools and technology gaps in the region, developing a skills and technology roadmap, and collaborating on means to help operationalize the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre). Years later, these collaborations culminated in the deployment of the AHA Center’s first and only regional early warning capability powered by PDC’s DisasterAWARE platform. That system, the Disaster Monitoring and Response System (DMRS), is still in full operational use today at the AHA Centre based in Jakarta, Indonesia.
ARDEX 2023 was based on tsunami scenario and involved a full-scale disaster response exercise.
Yogyakarta was chosen as the site to host ARDEX this year as a commemoration of the 17th anniversary of the 2006 earthquake in Bantul that killed over 5,700 people and injured tens of thousands of others.
About PDC
Winner of the 2022 UN Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction, the University of Hawai’i’s Pacific Disaster Center is a global leader in the application of life-saving disaster management science, early warning technology, and advanced analytics. Our risk intelligence products provide decision-makers with the essential insights and information needed to act early to protect communities from hazards and to build more sustainable, resilient communities for a safer world.
The Center’s DisasterAWARE technology is used by tens of thousands of disaster management practitioners around the globe. DisasterAWARE provides global, multi-hazard early warning and includes advanced situational awareness tools, the highest resolution all-hazards impact modeling, advanced analytics, and augmented information through artificial intelligence.
Geospatial Intelligence analysts receive DisasterAWARE training (2020)
PDC supported the 12th annual Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) Course at the request of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). PDC hosted more than 30 participants at its Maui headquarters for hands-on DisasterAWARE training, 02–03 March.
Bhutan hosts expert exchange on disaster response (2019)
As part of a disaster response and medical capabilities Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE) in Thimphu, Bhutan, from 12–14 November, PDC conducted a table-top exercise simulating a M5.5 earthquake in the southeast of the country with data it gathered on Bhutan. The Bhutan Department of Disaster Management used the exercise to test its new incident command system standard operating procedure.
Pacific Endeavor Field Training Exercise spans three days (2019)
PDC traveled to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, to facilitate the Field Training Exercise for the Pacific Endeavor Multinational Communications Interoperability Program (MCIP) 2019 on 06-16 August. DisasterAWARE was used to reach out across the 19 participating countries with data for a three-day scenario.
ADMM–Plus Exercise brings together more than 20 countries (2019)
The 2019 ADMM–Plus Exercise was the most robust evaluation of civil-military HA/DR procedures in the history of ADMM–Plus. The tsunami scenario—modeled by PDC—involved more than twenty countries and organizations participating from their home locations, collaborating digitally using PDC's DisasterAWARE from July 30 to August 1.
Hawaii National Guard DisasterAWARE and resiliency training (2019)
The Hawaii National Guard received a full day of training from PDC that merged DisasterAWARE user training with selected modules from PDC's Hazard Resiliency Network ("R-NET") course on 04 May, 2019. Participants were given tools and knowledge regarding all phases of the disaster management cycle.
AHA Centre receives DMRS training (2019)
PDC delivered a series of training sessions at the ASEAN Coordination Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre) in Jakarta to support operational use of the DMRS system, powered by DisasterAWARE, February 25–27, 2019. Training included 16 operational staff from the AHA Centre, who demonstrated their DMRS-user skills in a series of disaster-related exercises.
2020 – 2021 EXERCISE SUPPORT DURING COVID-19
PDC continues to support training and exercises throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Most activities have been transitioned to a virtual platform to ensure the health and safety of all participants.
Have questions or want to request exercise support?
