Valley responders drill for weather emergency

MAT-SU — Fresh from evacuating 25 children from a day care facility, Mat-Su Borough emergency responders were preparing to deal with another looming disaster.

Those who pay attention to emergency band scanners have noticed a marked increase in activity starting today, as the borough and state team up with the American Red Cross and Mat-Su Regional Medical Center for an intense emergency preparedness drill.

The scenario revolves around a significant weather event, said Casey Cook, the borough’s emergency manager. It’s based on what he calls an “omega weather system” that has temperatures at -10 with wind gusting up to 80 to 90 miles per hour. Enstar’s natural gas supply is a “level red,” and there’s a problem with delivery of gas to the state and Valley.

“From that, plus all the wind damage, a lot of the infrastructure is being affected by the wind,” Cook said.

Included in the drill is simulating evacuation of area assisted living facilities, Cook said. For that, Wasilla High School and Colony Middle School will become staging areas for emergency shelters and response.

The drill also includes a first for local agencies, Cook said. It includes use of Twitter, Facebook and other social media in alerting the public to the disaster situation.

“Since most people have cellphones and iPhones and smartphones now and get their updates electronically, we’re trying to make sure we get that information out to as many people as possible,” he said.

See Sunday’s Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman for more coverage of this weekend’s emergency preparedness exercise.

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.