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Henry County Emergency Management Training Exercise Set for Thurs., Fri.

Henry County, Tenn. residents may receive a knock at the door on Thursday and Friday as part of a disaster preparedness training exercise.

The exercise will consist of door-to-door interviews intended to sharpen the skills of emergency management officials. Interviewers will be using Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response toolkits (CASPERs) which have been used in the wake of national emergencies like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the 2009 ice storm in Kentucky.

"We're practicing our capability to go out after an emergency and quickly and inexpensively assess the health status and the basic needs of the affected community," said Kevin Morris, an epidemiologist with the Tennessee Department of Health.

The exercise will also shed some light on how many residents know what "shelter in place" means or have prescription medicine and water stored in case of emergency.

The survey is being conducted by the Henry County Health Department and the West Tennessee Regional Health Department, in partnership with the Henry County Emergency Management Agency. Teams will be working between 1 and 7 p.m. and will be identifiable by their green safety vests. No personal information will be collected.

John Null is the host and creator of Left of the Dial. From 2013-2016, he also served as a reporter in the WKMS newsroom.
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