TAMPA (970 WFLA) -- As many as a hundred employees of James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa are taking part in a federal emergency preparedness exercise today (Tuesday 2/13) at Tampa International Airport.
Haley spokesman Ed Drohan says the VA is working with the Mississippi Air National Guard on the exercise, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
The scenario involves a mock "earthquake" in Mississippi, causing more casualties than local resources can handle. "Victims" are flown on a C-17 cargo plane to Tampa. VA doctors will triage them, and then they'll be taken to local medical facilities.
Drohan says you're not likely to see much impact from the drill. You could see first responder vehicles parked along Jim Walter Boulevard, across from International Plaza. Normally that's illegal but authorities have waived that rule for this exercise.