200-plus volunteers take part in Point Lepreau mock disaster

For the past two days the Point Lepreaunuclearstation has been the site of a massive mock exercise.

NB Power, co-ordinating with more than30otheragencies including the Emergency Measures Organization, istesting itsemergency preparedness.

Safety exercises are done every three yearsbut officials say this is the biggest Lepreau has undertaken.

• Dry run of nuclear emergency at Point Lepreau on Tuesday

Organizers of Exercise Intrepid laid out a scenario in whichPoint Lepreau is dealing with a severe weather event, serious enough to warrant evacuating the area within a 20-kilometreradius.

About 200 people volunteered to playevacuees,and were greeted at a Red Cross station with equipment to scan them for radiation.Nancy Williams was one of those volunteers.

"It wasn't bad, like if it was the real thing it would be bad," she said. "But it's good to know what to do and where to go."

"Evacuees"Cathy Kennedy and Susan Postma were assigned roles to play,and both saidthey were not happy with the care they received.

"It was very slow coming in," said Kennedy."I was a person who had the flu and was very ill, but I found no one was really paying attention to meuntil I was registered."

SusanPostmawas askedto play someone who was distraught, and did not want to leave herhome. Shewas trying to find out from officialswhen she would be allowed to return.

"Of course, [the Red Cross volunteer]didn't have any answers," said Postma. "But I should have been led to someone thatcould have taken care of that or tried to calm me down a bit."

Bill Lawlor, theNew Brunswick Director of the Canadian Red Cross,says the information from volunteers like Postma and Kennedyis valuable.

"This is the opportunity during this exercise to saywe could do this a lot better the next time," he said.

A report on the operation is expected to be released within the next few months.