ODON– In late January, community leaders and representatives from Daviess, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, and Sullivan counties, along with state and regional agencies, utility companies, and Naval Support Activity Crane, participated in a regional emergency preparedness exercise at WestGate@Crane Technology Park.
The day-long event, hosted by the White River Military Coordination Alliance (WRMCA) and the Southern Indiana Development Commission (SIDC), focused on enhancing regional resilience against threats to critical infrastructure that could impact NSA Crane and Lake Glendora Test Facility. The exercise was funded through a Military Installation Resilience Review (MIRR) Grant from the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation Installation Resilience program.
Participants worked through a multi-hazard scenario, clarifying emergency management roles, identifying gaps in current response strategies, and developing potential projects and resource opportunities. Discussions covered first responder availability, communication resources, mutual aid, temporary housing, water shortages, and supply chain challenges.
Officials emphasized the importance of the exercise for strengthening local preparedness and response strategies.
Tetra Tech, a consulting and engineering firm working with WRMCA on the MIRR grant, facilitated the event. Brian Potts, senior planner at Tetra Tech, highlighted the exercise’s focus on identifying solutions to resource and communication shortfalls.
The exercise generated numerous project ideas, which Tetra Tech will incorporate into a study that WRMCA will use to prioritize future initiatives. The MIRR study will include recommendations for infrastructure projects and resource-sharing methods.
Information from Southern Indiana Business Report.
