GOVERNMENT: MOCK EMERGENCY TESTS COUNTY PREPAREDNESS FOR CRISIS MODE

Using simulated tornadoes as a starting point, Cape Girardeau County was tested Thursday to see how it might respond to a disaster.

With participation from businesses and others growing each year, county residents will have a better idea of what to do if a real disaster occurs, said Dave Hitt, coordinator for the county Emergency Management Agency.

Schools and municipal officials in Cape Girardeau and Jackson, both hospitals, and many businesses participated in various ways, he said. Activities ranged from sitting down to talk over a business' emergency plan to handling mock injuries.

This was the third year for the countywide drill, Hitt said.

Employees of American Railcar Industries in Jackson and Westfield Shoppingtown Center carried out drills with firefighters responding, which gave more realism, he said.

Hitt would like more companies to understand how a few hours spent on emergency planning could save money over time.

"If a disaster happens and your prepared, you're getting production started and people back on the job more quickly," he said.

The goal of Thursday's exercise in Cape Girardeau was to help police, firefighters and others who are the first to respond to emergencies develop a framework of priorities, said Mark Hasheider, newly appointed Cape Girardeau assistant fire chief.

"In a big crisis, you could have multiple critical injuries and several streets blocked with trees," said Hasheider, who coordinated an emergency operations center at the police department. "We have to establish priorities before that happens."

To aid in the simulation, damages were modeled after those suffered during an actual tornado that struck Jackson, Tenn., on Jan. 18, 1999. Six people were killed in that city of over 86,000, and more than 100 homes were damaged.

Those in the emergency operations center in Cape Girardeau received messages one by one and discussed each in turn as to how it would best be handled.

"In a real event, we might have something like 100 messages in 45 minutes or less," Hasheider said.

The only part Hitt would change in Thursday's drill would be the number of participants. He wants to see it increase.

Too few mock victims showed up at emergency rooms to really test preparedness at hospitals, Hitt said.

"They need to get 20 to 25 all at once before they really have to hustle," he said. "But it's hard to get that many to volunteer."