County undergoes hurricane exercise

Disaster relief responders with the American Red Cross work with county employees and various first responders in a shelter simulation at the Dunbar Gym during a recent training exercise. Courtesy photo

From Enterprise Staff

In preparation for the upcoming hurricane season that begins June 1, the Polk County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) conducted a training exercise in conjunction with the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) May 15-17, one of only a few counties in the state that participated.

Fifty people from an array of agencies participated in the exercise, including county employees and representatives from TDEM, Sam Houston Electric Cooperative, Trinity River Authority, CHI St. Luke’s Health-Memorial Livingston, Upper Lake Livingston Wireless Association, Allegiance Mobile Health, Angelina County & Cities Health District, the American Red Cross, several local school districts and other local response agencies.

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The exercise tested Polk County’s readiness to respond to a Category 4 hurricane forecast to make landfall near San Luis Pass with 140-mile per hour winds. Tropical storm-force winds were to impact the county, causing devastating damage to homes, businesses, public infrastructure and utilities from high winds, fallen debris and flooding.

OEM tested its shelter capabilities at Dunbar Gym on May 15 by conducting a training exercise and shelter simulation with members of the American Red Cross. Animal shelter procedures were also rehearsed with the Polk County Extension Office.

On May 16-17, OEM worked with staff in the Emergency Operation Center to test multi-agency coordination, direction and control, communications, and information dissemination for response and recovery activities.

For tips on how to prepare for a hurricane, visit https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes. Register for AlertMePolkCounty to receive emergency alerts from OEM, by visiting https://polkcountyoem.com/page/alertmepolkcounty.