‘Earthquake’ strikes San Fernando

“What happened? Is everything okay?” asked one passer-by. Nothing happened and everything was okay. It was just a drill.

Led by coordinator Hayden Alexander, the corporation’s Disaster Management Unit conducted an emergency drill to improve on the coordination between the various groups that must work together in the event of an emergency. Using the Incident Command System, the unit coordinated fire officers, police, municipal police, traffic wardens, and volunteer organisations like the Red Cross society and Adventist Development and Relief Agency to both test and improve their emergency responses.

Yesterday’s “emergency” which drew the attention of a crowd of onlookers was that of an earthquake.

Corporation staff members donned “blood-stained” and torn clothes to play the part of victims with injuries ranging from burns to broken limbs to spinal injuries. Their acting must have been convincing because more than a few concerned passers-by asked, “Is this real or they playing?” After staff evacuated the building, corporation unit heads gathered at a muster point outside to do head counts and determine if anyone was missing while emergency personnel stood by to rescue whoever couldn’t make it out. Those rescued were transported via stretcher and ambulance to a treatment tent set up on the promenade. There they were treated by Red Cross workers while proudly displaying their “injuries” for photographers. TTPS and municipal police and traffic wardens ensured that the roads and pathways remained clear for the movement of emergency response personnel.

San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello said, “You saw we had a tremor yesterday (Monday) evening and they are becoming more frequent.

You never can tell what could happen so we are trying to be even more proactive to know what we will have to do and know where things can go wrong and where things can go right.” “It went very well,” said coordinator Alexander. “We found a few gaps that we have to fill, but that will always be true. Ever so often we try to do an exercise to practise how all the different units and services would work together in the event of an emergency.”