Photo Information Many trees, like the one pictured, were felled when a derecho hit Marine Corps Base Quantico June 30, 2012. Storms like that one remind base commanders and staff that they need to be ready at a moment's notice for the unexpected. Col. David W. Maxwell, base commander, took that warning to heart and conducted a Destructive Weather Tabletop Exercise May 22, 2014. Photo by Sgt. Rebekka S. Heite Download Details Share MCB Quantico staff, area commands plan for destructive weather 27 May 2014 | Sgt. Rebekka S. Heite Marine Corps Base Quantico PRINT SHARE MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. -- More than 30 personnel, including Marine Corps Base Quantico and area command staff, gathered at the Clubs at Quantico on May 22, 2014, for a Destructive Weather Tabletop Exercise. During the exercise a common understanding of how they will respond to a destructive weather event was reached and communication plans were discussed by the key staff and organizations aboard Quantico before they worked their way through a scenario to reinforce “how we will conduct business,” according to Pete Russett, director, Mission Assurance Branch. Destructive weather in this area could be anything from snow to flooding to tornados, according Carol Shelton, base emergency planner, G-3. This exercise was important to Col. David W. Maxwell, base commander, because when he first checked in as base commander in May 2012 he thought destructive weather for this area was snow storms. Then June 2012 a derecho hit Quantico, leaving the Verizon network offline, homes and offices without power and temperatures reached 95-100 degrees, he said. “We don’t want the real response to be the first response,” said Russett. Correspondent: rebekka.heite@usmc.mil Tags Derecho , Destructive Weather , Destructive Weather Table Top Exercise , Marine Corps Base Quantico