St. Louis Cty Hosts Emergency Shelter Training September 24

This event might only be a drill, but the skills could prove to be vitally important in the future.  On Tuesday September 24, members of the St. Louis County Public Health will host a large-scale emergency shelter drill at the Miners Memorial Building in Virginia.  The exercise will bring together more than 60 people from 9 counties and tribal health departments - across a wide variety of services.

The event puts personnel from various agencies through their paces.  St. Louis County Preparedness Coordinator Scott Lesnau describes the event this way:  "[We get] to practice with community partners to better understand each others roles, what needs to be done, and what resources we each have to contribute" to an emergency situation.

According to information released by county officials, the following counties will be participating:  Aitken, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, and St. Louis County as well as Fond Du Lac and Boise Forte.  In addition, representatives from the American Red Cross, 148th Fighter Wing, Salvation Army, and health health care agencies.  Ham radio operators, the Virginia Fire Department, and other first responders will be on hand.

The event is expected to last the entire day.  The Miners Memorial Building is located at 821 South 9th Avenue West in Virginia.