Inside Georgetown County's Emergency Operations Center on Tuesday, representatives from several county agencies, utility companies, and even the Salvation Army came together to simulate the county's response to a hurricane.
These annual run-throughs are vital to the effectiveness of the EOC during a real storm, said Greg Troutman, a spokesperson for the center.
"Our procedures don't change, but I think we get better every year," said Troutman.
Regularly, there are only two full-time employees working at the EOC. On Tuesday, dozens of county employees, including Troutman, had to assume new roles specific to the operation of the county during an emergency.
"Unlike some of the counties that have much larger staffs, we have pople that have to come in during emergencies, and perform their 'hurricane jobs,' if you will," Troutman said.
Troutman said rehearsals like Tuesday's full-scale activation are important to get those employees acquainted with those temporary roles, and to familiarize the whole center with working together to help the area weather the big storm.
"We don't have large stockpiles of supplies in Georgetown County," said Troutman. "Most of that comes from the state and eventually from the federal government. But if you're not accurately communicating your needs, they don't get fulfilled."
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