Drill Preps Emergency Workers For Disasters

Local emergency workers participated in a drill Wednesday to better prepare them for the possibility of a disaster striking the region.

•WEB EXTRA: Drill Preps Emergency Workers For Disasters

Local, state and federal officials held an emergency drill at the North Carolina Air National Guard, which is located in Charlotte.

“The whole exercise is a surprise,” said Chief Master Sgt. Daryl Cook, who is with the North Carolina Air National Guard. “None of the agencies involved know what they're going to face.”

The scenario set in this drill was a category 5 hurricane hitting a major metropolitan area. In the scenario, 2,000 homes had been destroyed, 1,000 people had died and nearly 200 badly injured people were brought to the Air National Guard for treatment.

Each patient had a role to play.

"I'm a 5-year-old with a fractured left arm," volunteer Elizabeth Coston said.

The drill is designed to seem as real as possible: victims had realistic-looking wounds and injuries consistent with the effects of a category 5 hurricane.

The exercise also focused on dealing with unexpected issues that have come up in recent disasters.

“After the pet issue associated with [Hurricane] Katrina, all local emergency management programs now have a responsibility for taking care of the pets," said Wayne Broome, the director of Emergency Management for Charlotte.

This particular emergency training is done once every three years.

The emergency management team will now assess their performance during the drill and look at potential improvements that can be made.