Local groups met for emergency planning exercise

A group of public and private organizations, which included emergency response officials, gathered Friday, June 15, in Mt. Pleasant for a tabletop discussion on emergency preparedness.

According to the press release, the tabletop exercise incorporated several possible emergency scenarios which would test the responses within individual organizations, as well as the community at large. The three and a half hour exercise was designed to enhance partnerships between agencies and identify gaps in response efforts that can now be evaluated.

It was coordinated jointly by the Henry County Public Health Department and the county Emergency Management Agency.

?(The) exercise was valuable because we were able to evaluate our current individual plans and see how they integrate together to enable us to improve our responses to emergencies,? said Travis Johnson, Henry County Community Health director. ?We plan to meet on a continued basis and we will use this exercise to lead us in the future.?

The tabletop exercise was moderated by Jeffry Gauthier, Iowa Department of Public Health Region Five preparedness planner.

Agencies represented were Mt. Pleasant Correctional Facility, Iowa State Patrol, Henry County Sheriff?s Office, Iowa Wesleyan College, Great River Home Health and Hospice, Fellowship Cup, Henry County Ministerial Alliance, Henry County Supervisors, Henry County RSVP, Henry County Health Center, American Red Cross, Community Action of Southeast Iowa and the Mt. Pleasant Police Department.