USCG and US Army Corps jointly conduct disaster exercise

The US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Coast Guard (USCG) have jointly executed an exercise to hone their emergency disaster preparedness.

The drill was mainly focused at analysing the communications between the water assets of both the agencies to manage search and rescue missions and crucial Savannah River navigation channel survey manoeuvres during a crisis, such as in the event of hurricane.

US Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Billy Birdwell was quoted by savannahnow as saying: "Coordinating and rehearsing joint operations between the Army Corps and the Coast Guard ensures faster response capabilities than would normally be possible if the agencies were not working together like this during a crisis.

"We found some small glitches that we can now work on eliminating, which was the primary purpose of the exercise.

"A drill like this one allows both agencies to identify any obstacles or concerns in a controlled environment, enabling a better prepared response in a real crisis."

During the exercise, communications with aircraft and water vessels were assessed from the Statesboro Federal Courthouse, which plays a vital role in case primary site in Savannah turns inoperable during disasters.

Further, the drill also enabled assessing communications between a remote operating command post, air to ground, and air to vessel systems.

Coast Guard public affairs specialist Anthony Soto said: "The Coast Guard trains each and every day in various areas, including search and rescue.

"We also train with other agencies to make sure we’re all on the same page when we work together in emergency situations.

"That kind of training helps us find and correct deficiencies and remove obstacles, which will result in a seamless interagency operation when an actual disaster occurs."