Naval Air Station Meridian is preparing for hurricane season by participating with many military installations in a drill April 15-18, Hurricane Exercise/Citadel Gale 2019.

U.S. Fleet Forces Command, headquartered in Norfolk, and Commander, Navy Installations Command, based in Washington, D.C., are leading the exercises, which prepare the U.S. Navy to respond to adverse weather conditions in U.S. coastal regions and maintain the ability to deploy forces under the most severe weather conditions, according to a news release from NAS Meridian.

NAS Meridian Emergency Operations Center will be testing the main installation’s notification systems so residents surrounding the base may hear messages from the Giant Voice System.

NAS Meridian will also test the system located at Joe Williams Outlying Field in Kemper County.

The exercise also tests the response times for accounting for sailors, Department of the Navy civilians and families in the affected regions through the Navy Family Accountability and Assessment System, according to the news release.

HURREX/CG 19 will involve a simulated storm system developing and intensifying to hurricane strength, threatening the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.

All Navy commands at Naval District Washington, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic and Navy Region Southeast will participate by reviewing and exercising heavy weather instructions procedures.

There will be no Navy ship movements associated with HURREX/CG 19.