Hurricane George makes landfall in Pensacola

[Ivanhater]

Hurricane Drill Helps Prepare For The Real Thing




A mock hurricane is helping Escambia County prepare for the real deal.
Today, hundreds gathered at the Emergency Operations Center in Pensacola, to test run some important storm steps, everyone hopes do not have to be taken this year.

Andrew Mcintosh has the story.


The drill helps various agencies work out any bugs in their storm procedures, and learn how to work together.
This year, some special guests from hurricane ravaged areas.. are hoping to leave the exercise with some valuable information.


Escambia County's Emergency Operation Center is abuzz, as Hurricane George makes its way through the Caribbean.
The mock category five storm is heading right for us.

"'It's maximum sustained winds are 150 miles per hour."

This is just a drill, but county and city departments, law enforcement, as well as the military, take steps as if the hurricane is real.
From preparations and evacuations, to landfall and recovery, they run through every stage of the storm.
They're asked...

"What would you be doing right now."

Lessons learned from past storms answer that question, for the most part.

Andrew McIntosh/Reporting: "For some this is a refresher course, for others it's their first time experiencing a hurricane drill. For everyone, there are new tools to make things easier, if the real thing hits."

Public Safety Director Janice Kilgore says the EOC has adopted the National Incident Management System.
It will allow for better communication between all government, private-sector, and non-governmental agencies responding to a disaster.
New web-based software called "E-Team" will let all these people share storm information, and view each other's notes.

Janice Kilgore/Public Safety Director: "We can put shelters that are open, shelters that are full, streets that are closed, issues that we're dealing with."
Mark Hare/Ocean Springs Emergency Mgr.: "To have the latest in equipment and to have a facility that is conducive to carry out those operations, makes a world of difference."
Ocean Springs, Mississippi Emergency Manager, Mark Hare, is impressed with the facility and the teamwork here.
His team realized too late, it wasn't ready for Katrina .

Hare: "Oh no, no, no, definitely not. We thought were at the time."

As recovery continues down the coast, Hare, and officials from Lake Charles, Louisiana believe this drill will help them, as the upcoming season approaches.

Hare: "And hopefully, take some of that knowledge back to prepare ourselves better."

Kilgore's glad to share information, and gain new insight from Hare.

Kilgore: "We just hope we don't have to use it this year."

Overall, officials say the drill went very well.
But, they say more training is needed on the new "E-Team" software.

[Charles-KD5ZSM]

Good to hear that it went very well. Hopefully that will help out Ocean Springs EOC for next time. They were a little unorganized when i worked there during Katrina.

[GeneratorPower]

The first thing they might do is correct the storm to a category 4. 150 mph is category 4.