Beadle County emergency Management Director Zach Nelson says the Emergency Managers of the South Dakota Office of Emergency Management Region 6 will be holding a full scale exercise in Huron on August 26th.
The exercise will be a multi-jurisdictional dive team exercise focusing on the coordination and cooperation of emergency resources among the 10 counties of Region 6, which includes Beadle County.
Dive teams from Beadle, Davison and Yankton have been invited take part to not only practice with their equipment, but using everyone’s equipment and resources together. Other County EM’s and State OEM staff will man a mock Emergency Operations Center to coordinate the dive operations.
Region 6 includes Beadle, Kingsbury, Brookings, Sanborn, Miner, Davison, Hanson, Hutchinson, Bon Homme and Yankton Counties. A number of local first responder agencies have also been invited to take part including the Huron Police Department, Huron Fire Department, Beadle County Sheriff, Huron Ambulance, Midwest Medical Transport, Huron Regional Medical Center, Beadle County Coroner South Dakota Game Fish and Parks and Lincoln Auto.
The exercise is expected to run from approximately 9 am to 3 pm, but may end sooner. The boat ramp at 7th Street NE in Huron will be closed during the exercise.
Observation areas for media and the public will be available. If you are coming to observe the exercise, you are asked to please be considerate of area home owners and residences when parking and walking. Ravine Lake will not be closed, but watercraft operators should stay away from the area as divers will be operating in the waters around the exercise area.
Due to the narrow roads near the boat launch and the number of emergency vehicles in the area, traffic is expected to be tight and motorist should be on the lookout for people. The Isaac Walton League clubhouse parking lot will be used as a staging area for the exercise and will not be available for parking for observers.