NEW ORLEANS – Today, Wednesday, May 17, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (NOHSEP) will join local, state and federal public safety officials to host the first full-scale exercise of the City-Assisted Evacuation system.
The event will take place at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center’s Hall H, 900 Convention Center Blvd., at 10:15 a.m.
In 2015, the city received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. DOT Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to support a full-scale simulation exercise of the City-Assisted Evacuation plan, with special emphasis on vulnerable/special needs populations. Hundreds of volunteers will role-play as evacuees and help representatives from various agencies practice the steps required to safely evacuate residents before a hurricane. City-Assisted Evacuation provides transportation from 17 Evacuspots to the Union Passenger Terminal, 1001 Loyola Ave., where individuals then board a bus to a State or Federal shelter out of harm’s way.