New Orleans Hurricane Drill

The city of New Orleans took part in a hurricane preparedness drill Friday, to simulate and evaluate the citys evacuation plan. Its a joint effort using volunteers to test their plan to get people out of the area in case a category three hurricane threatens. One of the goals is to make sure everyone returns to New Orleans if they are evacuated due to an emergency. The drill started with the assisted evacuation of people from the Lower Ninth Ward, and from the very beginning, voluntary evacuees started throwing curve balls at emergency workers. One woman told workers she lost her seven-year-old daughter. Mayor Ray Nagin says that is exactly the kind of thing that is suppose to happen during a drill like this. "This is another opportunity to stay ready and stay sharp," Nagin says. Evacuees were taken a staging area at the New Orleans Arena for processing, before being evacuated out of town. And remember the woman who got separated from her daughter? Emergency workers are working to follow through with problem solving, and there is another problem also being addressed. Mayor Nagin acknowledges that some people are still scared to evacuate because of what happened after Hurricane Katrina. He says, of course, some people that were taken out of town did not have a way to get back. He says that wont happen this time. "Let me assure you that we have a two-way ticket for you, in the event that you have to leave this city during a major event," Nagin says. Similar drills also took place today in Jefferson, Plaquemines and Saint Bernard Parishes. Photo Credit: Courtesy: NOAA