GALVESTON – As part of Hurricane Preparedness Week, Galveston County emergency officials are taking part in a full-scale hurricane exercise on Wednesday and Thursday.
Galveston County Office of Emergency Management said the intent of "Operation Storm Ready" is to provide opportunities for officials who will be responding during a hurricane.
The exercise will help emergency crews apply their knowledge of their organization's hurricane plans, work with representatives from other organizations, practice their decision making skills and become more familiar with the tools available to assist them.
Operation Storm Ready will provide exercise participants with realistic scenarios and issues related to a fictional major hurricane called "Gaviota." According to the design of the exercise, the Gaviota will make landfall near San Luis Pass and will bring Hurricane Ike-type damage to the more densely populated areas of Galveston Island and the county as a whole.
Officials warn that during the exercise, some members of the public may notice a few unusual activities including increased helicopter flyovers, teams of individuals carrying out practice search and rescue operations and emergency response apparatus gathered at staging areas. But remember, Operation Storm Ready is just a drill.
Below is a schedule for Operation Storm Ready on Wednesday, May 29 and Thursday, May 30:
- 8 a.m.: The drill begins at the Galveston Emergency Operations Center. Ongoing all day.
- 10 a.m.: Search and rescue teams/evacuation tracking at Carbide Park in La Marque.
- 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Evacuation simulation at the Galveston Island Community Center.
- All day: Search and rescue operations, including recovering mannequins on the Bolivar Peninsula.
- 4 p.m.: The exercise ends.
Click here for more information about Galveston County's Hurricane Preparedness Week.
Federal officials have put together a list of tips for what you should do before, during and after a hurricane. Click here for those tips.