UMass Amherst Medical Reserve Corps Drill to Test Sheltering Plans for Large-Scale Emergency

 

DATE:            Thursday, April 11

TIME:              3-9 p.m.

WHERE:         Former Mark’s Meadow School, 813 North Pleasant St., Amherst

 

The UMass Amherst Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), Hampshire County MRCs and affiliated partners are hosting a functional drill to test the readiness of sheltering plans during a large-scale emergency.

 

Some 225 volunteers and emergency response partners will participate in the exercise, which will simulate establishment of a dormitory shelter for residents and their pets during a massive power outage in Hampshire County.

 

Activities being tested during the shelter exercise include shelter registration, medical and mental health care, sleeping and dining arrangements, and animal sheltering. Photo and video opportunities, including setup of cots and sleeping areas, evacuee feeding and live animal participation are anticipated after 4 p.m.

 

UMass Amherst partners include University Health Services, the School of Nursing, UMass Police Department, Dining Services and the department of Environmental Health and Safety. Western Massachusetts and Hampshire County MRC units, the American Red Cross, Massachusetts Department of Health, the Hampshire Emergency Animal Response Team, the Amherst Fire Department, Amherst Health Department and Amherst Animal Control will also take part in the drill.

 

The exercise is funded by a grant from the Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council, which has supported development of regional sheltering plans for the four western Massachusetts counties. Working through the Hampshire Regional Emergency Planning Committee, Hampshire County has been developing its plan for more than two years; this is the first time any of the regional sheltering plans have been tested.

 

The UMass Amherst MRC, the first curriculum-incorporated unit in the country, provides educational, research and leadership opportunities for student and faculty volunteers in the fields of public health and emergency preparedness.