YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- A Non-Combatant Evacuation (NEO) Operations open house was held for base personnel at the Taiyo Community Center on Yokota Air Base, Japan, Sept. 27, 2017.

The event was aimed at ensuring everybody knows what to do in case of a noncombatant evacuation, which may be ordered in the event a natural or manmade disaster, war, or political or civil unrest.

“We had a town hall a couple of months ago, and dependents were concerned about what they would do in case of an evacuation,” said 1st Lt. Joseph Wight, 374th Force Support Squadron military personnel flight commander. “This is our second NEO open house event, and our way of providing information to service members and their spouses to increase everyone’s knowledge of the evacuation process, if it were to occur.

“This NEO folder is crucial for folks to make sure their entitlements are intact and that they are taken care of in the case of an evacuation,” Wight said.

There were approximately 10 agencies at the event to help Yokota personnel be more informed about what they offer throughout an evacuation. Some of the agencies that were involved are finance, legal, Red Cross, Tricare, Chapel, base transportation, and the veterinarian clinic.

To ease the process, service members are urged to educate themselves and their families about how the process works, and most importantly, to keep their NEO folders up to date. Each folder contains numerous forms used to send family members, including pets, home in an orderly fashion, apply for temporary assistance loans, get compensation for high-value items lost during an evacuation, and to forward their mail. It also contains copies of important documentation such as ID cards, passports and birth certificates.

“With my wife being a Japanese national, it was more imperative that she knows what to do with the language barrier being present, said Master Sgt. Thomas Vernon, 374th Civil Engineer Squadron structures section chief. “All of the stations here are great for her to be able to talk to each individual agency to understand what their job is and what is going to happen in case she needs to be evacuated.”