COLUMBUS, Ohio – In light of a sobering report on the state of the dam at Buckeye Lake, state and local emergency officials are conducting a small-scale evacuation exercise Saturday morning.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Emergency Management Agency, Licking County EMA and Fairfield EMA are coordinating the exercise which begins at 9:30 a.m.
The Licking and Fairfield EMA offices will test their notification systems by sending an emergency message to residents and activating the emergency sirens in the local area.
Local first responders will begin evacuating Buckeye Lake Estates to test the procedures for evacuating at-risk populations. Residents of Buckeye Lake Estates and their pets will be evacuated by bus to Millersport High School where the Red Cross will have established a shelter during the drill, said Sean Grady, Licking County EMA Director.
“The at-risk populations require additional assistance from first responders to effectively evacuate from a high risk area,” says Grady.
The Army Corps of Engineers published a report this year that a breach of the waterfront is possible, which would impact the safety of approximately 3,000 people.
The emergency message will be sent to Buckeye Lake residents via telephone, cellphone text message or email.
In order to receive this emergency alert in both real-world and exercise drills, residents should visit the website and sign up under the WARNING page for notifications.