Emergency drill Wednesday will see ‘evacuees’ at Benson Center

The Benson Center, seen here in a 2011 file photo, will be hosting an emergency drill Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016. (City of Cornwall via Newswatch Group, File)

CORNWALL – Imagine a disaster striking Eastern Ontario, affecting the infrastructure of the City of Cornwall and the entire region.

Emergency responders will be going through that exact scenario Wednesday as they hold a drill at the Benson Center from 10 a.m. until noon.

The simulation, dubbed Exercise Safe Hands, will test emergency procedures, communications and plans as volunteers role play as evacuees being processed at the Benson Center.

The city’s social and housing services department will be tasked with managing the intake of the displaced persons to the Reception Center, which deals with lodging, feeding, clothing and liaises with other groups like the Red Cross.

The exercise won’t affect programming at the arena, the city said.

The city is required by law to test its emergency plan.