Kingfisher County, OK – Emergency management teams, first responders, and municipal leaders from across Kingfisher County came together on Wednesday, April 9, for a Tabletop Exercise designed to simulate a large-scale tornado disaster.
The exercise began with a simulated severe weather advisory from the National Weather Service, forecasting potential tornado activity. As the scenario unfolded, a tornado warning was issued by midday. A confirmed tornado touched down near Cashion and later moved through Kingfisher, causing significant damage to infrastructure and public buildings, including City Hall.
A second tornado was reported on the ground, impacting both residential and commercial areas. The exercise concluded with a structured evaluation session during which participants discussed what worked well, identified resource and communication gaps, and proposed areas for improvement. Insights from this Tabletop Exercise will be used to develop a formal After-Action Plan with specific improvement actions.
The five-hour event, hosted at Cimarron Electric, was attended by approximately 40 people. Participants included representatives from Pioneer, Kingfisher County Administration, Police, Fire, Public Works, and Emergency Management, as well as leadership from the Cities of Kingfisher, Cashion, and Loyal, with support from the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
Photos by Maitland Pickle.
