`STEEL CURE II': MOCK EMERGENCY DRILL SET FOR THIS WEEK

A mock earthquake will strike Southeast Missouri Friday causing hundreds of injuries, knocking out communications in the region and testing emergency response plans for national, state and local agencies.

In preparation for next weekend's mock disaster, military personnel are in town setting up radar and communications equipment.

About 150 members of the 239th Combat Communications Squadron, Missouri Air National Guard, of St. Louis, trucked equipment to the command center at the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport.

Most will leave the airport today; about 20 people will remain here to finish preparations.

The largest emergency medical response exercise in the nation's history, slated for Cape Girardeau Friday and Saturday, involves staged responses to a major earthquake striking the region.

"Operation Steel Cure II" first announced in May by federal, state and local authorities is being held in coordination with a mock medical disaster exercise by the National Disaster Medical System, called "Open Arms '92."

In addition, a number of other groups are planning related exercises, each following the scenario of a major earthquake.

"These are what I call spin-off exercises," said Mark Hasheider, training officer with the fire department and emergency operations coordinator for the city. Groups ranging from mental health officials to funeral directors will be testing emergency response plans during the exercise.

The planned scenario includes:

A major earthquake along the New Madrid Fault results in damage to Cape Girardeau's two hospitals, leading to the establishment of a temporary medical treatment facilities at the Cape Girardeau A.C. Brase Arena Building, Fire Station No. 2, Jackson City Park, and Delta public school.

Notified by the governor, the state's adjutant general will activate medical and support units of the Army and Air National Guard. By 8 p.m., medical teams from the 131st Tactical Fighter Wing will be on the ground at Cape Girardeau.

Between 25 and 30 C-130 and C-141 transport aircraft will fly about 700 simulated casualties from a temporary patient holding facility at Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport to civilian hospitals in St. Louis and Kansas City; Lincoln, Neb.; Little Rock, Ark.; and Jackson, Miss.

The 239th combat communication squadron, the first group in town for the exercise, supplies air traffic control, along with telephone and telegraph service.

Capt. Ken Cooper with the 239th said that in an actual emergency, those services could be operational in Cape Girardeau within 24 hours.

Because this is a simulation, and because most of the personnel are national guardsmen who work at other jobs during the week, they are here early to set up their equipment.

Ten squadron air-traffic controllers will direct the evacuation flights as well as all other flights into the airport that weekend.

The scenario also calls for all communication systems telephones especially to be knocked out in the earthquake.

The communications squadron, using satellite and radio equipment and computerized switchboard, will establish telephone lines. "It is like a mini Southwestern Bell," Cooper said. "We need to be able to call out so we can get information from the hospitals to other hospitals."

1st Lt. Jerry Bramstedt said the exercise also marks the final outing for the radar equipment currently used by the squadron. It will soon be replaced by new equipment.

Cooper said: "California officials are coming here to see this operation before they write their communications plan. We're a little ahead of them."

Additional personnel and other groups will be arriving in Cape Girardeau throughout the week, Hasheider said, in preparation for Friday's start of the drill.

Cape Girardeau city officials will begin a table-top mock disaster exercise Friday at 8 a.m.

At 9 a.m. the fire department and ambulance service will conduct a "mass causality" exercise in the field. At about 11:30 a.m. mock casualties will be transported to local hospitals.

St. Francis Medical Center and Southeast Missouri Hospital will begin their own drills at that time.

Hasheider said the scenario has both hospitals damaged by the earthquake and overflowing with injured.

"They will open a casualty collection point at the arena building," Hasheider said.

Other casualty collection points will be established at Fire Station 2 on Mount Auburn Road, the Jackson City Park and Delta public school.

"At some point in the morning," said Cape Girardeau police Sgt. Carl Kinnison, "we will make all the notifications necessary to activate the Air National Guard and Army National Guard."

Friday afternoon those military units will begin alerting their personnel to assist in Cape Girardeau.

Many of the victims will be military personnel from bases throughout the Midwest. On Friday the victims will be flown into Cape Girardeau and dressed up or made up with different injuries, and then fed into the causality collection points.

The victims will be shipped back to the airport to be evacuated back to the participating hospitals outside the seismic zone.

Hasheider said: "We are trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. We don't want to interfere with normal business. All emergency personnel participating in the exercise will be capable of responding to real emergencies."

He added that local businesses have been supportive of the exercises.

"It's kind of exciting," Hasheider said. "But what we're practicing for is something very, very real. This is an opportunity to test ourselves. If we are making any mistakes, we can correct them.