Saturday was the final day of the annual SC Statewide Exercise (Disaster Drill). State and local agencies as well as some private partners, practiced a communications failure caused by the simulated fuel shortages and severe weather event that was the basis of the week and half long exercise. Backup radio systems, HAM radios, satellite communications and alternatives to the internet were tested and practiced. The County mobile communications truck was used to practice a remote dispatching center and communications hub. The County's portable 100 foot communications tower was used. Fire-Rescue and the Sheriff's Office worked throughout the morning using alternative communications means to send messages and data throughout the east coast as well as communicate with surrounding governments and the State Emergency Operations Center in Columbia. The drill simulated a total failure of normal communications routes, making agencies use alternate means to receive emergency calls and request resources.
