Blue Cascades V: Supply Chain Resilience

In 2008, the Blue Cascades V exercise focused specifically on how the region will restore and continue to provide food, fuel and water after a catastrophic earthquake. Both the public and private sector were included in this exercise because a majority of critical infrastructure owned and operated by the private sector. To ensure the region can continue to provide these services it is necessary for the public and private stakeholders to work together. The exercise examined supply chain recovery after the initial event moving out of the life safety issues and transitioning from the response to recovery phase. Read the Final Report here. 

Read the Final Report

Executive Summary
State and local governments and key stakeholder organizations convened on December 11, 2008 to hold a regional infrastructure interdependencies exercise focused on assuring critical supply chains in a major disaster. Blue Cascades V, the most recent exercise in the Blue Cascades exercise series, centered on providing food, fuel in a M. 6.7 Seattle Fault Earthquake scenario. The goal of the exercise was to explore impacts that would cause significant, extended disruptions in these critical supply chains; test disaster response plans and procedures; and identify gaps and mitigation and other measures that could expedite their restoration. Specific issue areas addressed in the exercise included interdependencies, coordination, roles and responsibilities, response, critical resource logistics and distribution, information sharing, economic/community recovery, public information, and training and education. The scenario, which was developed by an Exercise Planning Team with assistance from a regional stakeholder Scenario Advisory Group, also addressed infrastructure interdependencies that crossed state and national boundaries. The exercise used an interactive format of facilitated discussion among participants on scenario events using issues questions to focus discussion. An exercise evaluation team provided a hotwash presentation of lessons learned at the end of the exercise followed by participant discussion on exercise outcomes. The exercise concluded with a Next Steps session that outlined an After Action Report followed by development of an Action Strategy to address preparedness gaps and contribute to disaster supply chain planning and resilience.

Selected Findings