Drill tests county’s emergency operations

Severe storms brought heavy rains, hail, lightning and a funnel cloud through Susquehanna County.

A fire raged through the Montrose Square apartment building.
Protestors convened for a pre-planned demonstration.
The storm system stalled over the area causing some flooding issues in Lanesboro.
And a train derailed in Hallstead leaking some chemical into the air.
Red Cross established shelters in Montrose, Blue Ridge and Susquehanna Community schools.
It was quite a night and it was all a test.
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency put Susquehanna County’s Emergency Operations Center to the test with all those scenarios playing out in a two and one-half hour drill on June 30.
But the volunteer team, led by county emergency management coordinator Charlene Moser, had been preparing for it over the past few months with a similar exercise in June and an EOC staff training on communication flow prior to that.
PEMA’s Tony Camalocchi told the EOC staffers prior to the exercise, “Tonight is the night you’ve been training for.”
The drill was also attended by PEMA Director of Operations Rick Flynn, who observed the county EOC in action.
Flynn said the drill was a learning event. “Every time we activate, we learn something.”
County Commissioner Leon Allen said, “It’s gratifying to see this many volunteers out for this.”
Commissioner Michael Giangrieco also attended the exercise.
The EOC was staffed with call takers, command personnel, ham radio operators and public information officers in addition to volunteers handling both emergency operations and logistics.
The exercise tests the EOC staff’s preparedness level in the event of an actual emergency (or series of emergencies) in the county.
Staffers have to coordinate messages, determine necessary actions to take and allocate resources to various emergency situations – so communication between the various agencies and areas is key.
PEMA will provide the county with a full, detailed report about the exercise within the next 30-60 days.

Be the first to comment on "Drill tests county’s emergency operations"

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.


*