I was just talking to my sister, who lives in Houston.  She's safe and dry, but she was saying that her company can't track down 200 employees.  They suspect that they just have moved or changed phone numbers and never updated it with the company.  This made me think of a recent email:

Dear Kate,

With the storms and fires and other stuff that is happening, I was wondering how the military knows where to find family members, especially if the service member is deployed or training or living separately.

We're Navy, if that helps.

Thanks,

Kiana

Great question!  (I always get great questions!)

Dear Kiana,

You want to keep your details up-to-date at the local level and also with the big military.  Locally, ensure that your command and any associated family groups have accurate information.  Check in DEERS and MyPay to ensure that contact information is correct there.

Three of the four branches of the military have a web-based accountability system for tracking service members and family members during emergency situations.

The Navy has the Navy Family Accountability and Assessment System (NFAAS.)  If you can't find the link, remember navyfamily.navy.mil.  They also have an app you can download to your phone.  You will need either a login and password or the sponsor's social security number, date of birth, and name.

The Army has the Army Disaster Personnel Accountability and Assessment System (ADPAAS).  If you can't find the link, remember adpaas.army.mil.  They also have an app you can download to your phone.  You will need either a login and password or the sponsor's social security number, date of birth, and name.

The Air Force has the Air Force Personnel Accountability and Assessment System (AFPAAS).  If you can't find the link, remember afpaas.af.mil.  They also have an app you can download to your phone.  You will need either a login and password or the sponsor's social security number, date of birth, and name.

As far as I can tell, the Marine Corps does not have a similar online system for registering people, but it does have an Enterprise Mass Notification System that will keep folks up-to-date.

These systems should be kept updated at all times, but an emergency is a great time to double-check and ensure that all your information is accurate.  It will be a great help if a bad situation happens.

Thanks for writing in,

Kate

To all my friends dealing with potential situation, please be safe and good luck!