By Chuck Walker
MOBILE, Ala. – Preparing for and responding to disasters is often a collaborative effort where you can learn from past successes and failures.
Developing plans for responding to a crisis or disaster is crucial in ensuring readiness for the worst-case scenario.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Readiness Support Center recently hosted a multi-lateral workshop supported by the U.S. Army South. It included Army Engineer delegations from Peru and Columbia, June 10-12, 2025, in Mobile, Alabama.
Participants collaboratively built complex scenarios, leveraging the expertise of the USACE RSC and ARSOUTH.
“The Readiness Support Center has a two-decade-long history of supporting the USACE Civil Military Emergency Management Program, said Steven Diaz, RSC deputy director. “The RSC team provided the methodology behind the design of effective exercises, provided examples of numerous scenarios deployed in a multimedia format to create an environment of high fidelity, and created a venue for the Peruvian and Columbian delegations to create their training exercises.”
A South Carolina National Guard team shared valuable lessons learned from their historical disaster response efforts within their state.
As South Carolina’s state partner, Colombia benefits from a strong, ongoing relationship with the Guard through yearly engagements. This partnership is part of a broader program aligning each nation with a U.S. state partner.
Major Alfredo Carrillo, ARSOUTH engineer planner, said the workshop allowed all the participants to share their experiences and learn from each other.
“ARSOUTH plays a crucial role in strengthening our partner nations’ engineering capabilities and fostering knowledge sharing in disaster response and humanitarian assistance,” Carrillo said. “This event was a valuable opportunity to bring Peru and Colombia together to discuss current initiatives and learn from each other’s experiences.”
The workshop facilitated a vital exchange of information, allowing participants to share lessons learned and build a foundation for enhanced regional preparedness.
“Education and collaboration between institutions in risk management allow people to act effectively in the face of threats,” said Brig. Gen. Julio Cesar Guzman Flores of the Peruvian delegation.
Colombian Colonel Carlos Julio Urquijo Gomez said the workshop allowed his delegation to learn in a collaborative environment.
“The workshop provides a key opportunity to share knowledge, doctrines, and procedures with other countries, particularly in the planning and executing missions during extreme climate crises,” Gomez said.
Cynthia Phillips, RSC training and exercise manager, said the workshop provided the delegations from Peru and Columbia with tabletop exercises to help them prepare for responding to disasters in their countries.
“The Peruvian and Colombian participants were provided guided instruction on methods for designing and developing a tabletop exercise focusing on disasters most prevalent in their country; the Colombian delegation chose to develop an exercise for response to wildfires, while the Peruvian delegation chose to exercise an earthquake,” Phillips said. “Both ultimately produced a tabletop exercise and template they could take with them to execute their tabletop exercise later this year with their stakeholders.”
Phillips said that the workshop was a success for everyone involved.
“The Peruvian and Colombian participants provided positive feedback on this training and thanked USACE for sharing their expertise in disaster response and instruction for developing a tabletop exercise,” Phillips said. “I was honored to have worked with ARSOUTH and the South Carolina National Guard to help plan, host, and participate in this event.”