PLAQUEMINES PARISH, La. — Hurricane season is around the corner and Friday, local, state and federal emergency responders across Louisiana are conducting a statewide Disaster Response Exercise.
Friday morning, more than 150 responders including members of the National Guard, local sheriff's offices and state agencies gathered at the Myrtle Grove Marina in Plaquemines Parish for a multi-parish drill.
"It's vital that we have these exercises so we are prepared," Plaquemines Parish President Kirk Lepine said. "The search and rescue coordination between the state and the local agencies is great for our preparation."
Plaquemines Parish's location means it always seems to receive some form of impacts from tropical storms and hurricanes that make landfall along the Gulf of Mexico coastline.
Gen. Pete Schneider from the Louisiana National Guard maintains it makes sense to drill where the action will likely be if a storm heads our way.
"To be here where we get to know the landscape, we get to see some of the challenges with then low lying water, with the levees to talk about the obstacles that may be in our way during the course of an event is crucial for us to get that before the actual event kicks off," Schneider said.
Organizers say the exercise allows agencies to test actions such as search and rescue operation, evacuation procedures, restoring civil order after a disaster and securing people's pets.
"Out of every emergency we learn that pets are very, very important," Schneider. "They need to be tracked. They need to be cared for. They need to be housed. They need to be fed and take care of their medical."
The drill also gives responders a chance to get to know their partners and the people they will be working within the event of a disaster.
"Basically, just getting our game plan together on how we're going to manage an incident, what we're doing to get prepped and ready," Plaquemines Parish Sheriff Jerry Turlich said. "We will secure the parish. We will make sure that your home is safe. We want you to be safe."
Governor John Bel Edwards, D-Louisiana is monitoring disaster drills in Plaquemines, Natchitoches and Ouachita parishes from the state's Unified Command center in Baton Rouge.
Hurricane Season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.