A major multi-agency exercise has been taking place in a tabletop environment on the Isle of Wight today (Wednesday), with the local press playing a part in the proceedings.
More than 60 people representing a number of different authorities, organisations and key partners have been taking part in LivEX 2023, joining up virtually with counterparts from across the South.
A fictional adverse weather event has been played out throughout the day with teams exploring a number of different scenarios including the evacuation of homes in East Cowes, the loss of water in Ryde and threats to the operation of the waste treatment plant in Sandown. Issues around cross-Solent travel were also explored, as well as power outages in the West Wight.
With the ‘danger to life’ situation worsening, the exercise saw a media briefing called in which Island Echo and other local media were invited along to ask questions of Gold Commander Sharon Betts and Councillor Karen Lucioni.
In a real situation, this would be an opportunity for Island Echo’s reporters to ask probing questions to keep Islanders informed.
Today’s exercise has involved top bosses, critical staff and communication officers from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service, the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, Maritime Coastguard Agency, Southern Water, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, Wightlink, Red Funnel, Hovertravel and multiple voluntary sector organisations, as well as the military.
I presume that it all ended in failure given some of the clowns involved.
I hope the weather isn’t too bad or else it will be dangerous for those taking part.
Long as that redik jolly didn’t use our taxes! Talk about nothing better too do .we can manage just fine ta.no tornadoes on way!
Another waste of money, ain’t these people got no other work to do.
You’ll be the first moaning if there was an incident and we were not prepared.
If there was an incident we still would not be prepared, the results of this exercise will have to be evaluated, then shared amongst stakeholders( thats other humans to me and you), then a committee meeting, then form a steering group and everyone would disgree on the findings and decide it is too expensive to be prepared
On the Island they cannot even fill a pothole correctly,
so I doubt they could do anything about adverse weather.
I would rather take my own precautions thank you.
I wouldn’t be relying on any of these clowns to assist me
I’m sure if Hampshire Police were involved then it all went wrong. The LGBT pride painted police cars wouldn’t help
Don’t worry though I’m sure they would get one of their Sargent minions to post all over Facebook about how great they are.
( unless they fancied stitching up some of their own police again and throw them under a bus to make the mafia that runs it look good.)
Total waste of tax payers money!
They can practise all they like, but when some catastrophe happens it’ll all go out the window and panic will ensue just like our wonderful ‘leaders’ did when covid struck
More pushing of the ‘extreme’ weather event lies as part of the net zero impoverishment plans – keep people frightened something bad is going to happen and they’ll all submit to more oppression to keep them ‘safe’
somehow I just can’t envisage an ‘Extreme weather event’ (which could have any forewarning) which would require evacuatting people from just one town (e.g. east cowes)
surely any such event (e.g hurricane/typhoon, if we ever got one, that was forcast in advance) would cover a much larger area?
& how does loss of water in Ryde, or a power cut in the West Wight constitute a ‘danger to life’, these things happen often enough and are managed without a ‘major multi-agency exercise’