This government hurricane simulation had a Cat 5 hit Tampa – It’s apocalyptic

What if a Category 5 hurricane struck the Tampa Bay region? How would the events unfold, and what would the region look like in the aftermath of the storm?

A Hurricane Simulation for Tampa Bay Small Businesses & Emergency Management Agencies


In 2009, TBRPC developed the Tampa Bay Catastrophic Plan: Project Phoenix, a plan to address the challenges of response and recovery during a catastrophic event in the Tampa Bay area. Hurricane Phoenix, a fictitious storm, was created to simulate the effects of a worst‐case scenario in our region; a direct strike from a Category 5 hurricane.

A 10-minute video portrays the scenario using realistic weather reports and archived video footage.

Project Phoenix 2.0: The Recovery is a facilitated training exercise that examines critical issues and capabilities of Tampa Bay area small businesses and emergency management agencies during disaster recovery. A series of videos supplement the exercise; illustrating a simulated Category 5 hurricane hitting Tampa Bay paralleled with lessons learned and words of advice from small business owners impacted by Hurricane Michael in 2018.

The tabletop exercise (TTX) leads participants through a facilitated discussion of roles, procedures, and responsibilities in the context of a Category 5 hurricane in the Greater Tampa Bay Area. The TTX is divided into four modules that cover a range of emergency preparedness and recovery topics, including:

  • Module 1 – One Day Later: Immediate impacts and damage assessments
  • Module 2 – One Week Later: Short-term recovery operations
  • Module 3 – One to Six Months Later: Long-term recovery operations
  • Module 4 – One Year Later: Long-term recovery operations