DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY TO HOLD EVACUATION EXERCISE, LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS
Evacuation exercise will kick-off National Preparedness Month

The City of Detroit Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) will conduct an evacuation exercise in Southwest Detroit on September 8 and 9. Volunteers are needed to act as evacuees during the two-day exercise.

�This exercise will put our recently updated evacuation plan to the test,� said Brenda Ice, Director of Homeland Security for the City of Detroit. �It will show us how well we work with our partner agencies to mobilize, transport, and shelter city residents during an emergency.

During the exercise, volunteers acting as displaced citizens will be evacuated from Southwest Detroit and transported to another area of the city. They will be sheltered overnight and receive valuable information on how to be prepared for emergencies and disasters.

�We received national acclaim for how we handled the Black Out of 2003 as well as the MLB All Star Game and Super Bowl Forty,� said Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick. �This exercise will help to ensure City agencies, our partners and our citizens are safer in the NEXT Detroit.�

Currently only 100 people have signed up to participate, but HSEM needs more than 500 volunteers of varying ages to assume the role of special needs people that are non-English speaking, have mental/physical disabilities, or medical conditions that would require assistance if evacuated. Citizens interested in volunteering in the exercise can visit the Southeast Michigan American Red Cross web site: www.semredcross.org or call (313) 494-2863.

Several City of Detroit agencies will be participating in the exercise along with the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and Detroit�s trained Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and Teen CERT volunteers.

The dates for this exercise coincide with September�s National Preparedness Month, when all citizens are encouraged to take responsibility and be prepared for any emergencies in their home, business, or school.