By coincidence, Red Cross volunteers from around the state are in Myrtle Beach this week, learning how to manage the sort of large scale relief operation that's taking place in Haiti.
It's impossible to simulate an earthquake or a hurricane in a meeting room. However to train its disaster response managers, the Red Cross has come up with creative substitutes for fallen buildings and disaster victims.
Volunteers played what looks like a table game, but it was much more serious. The poker chips and play money represent things the Red Cross would have to deal with during a disaster. White chips, for example, are disaster victims, yellow cups are mobile kitchens and Hershey's Kisses are food. Each team is given a disaster scenario - a flood, for instance, and then the teams have to decide how to deploy their assets effectively, with bad weather, road closings and so on thrown in.
"It is a cost effective way of trying to build an environment where people have to make decisions under time constraints," said Bill Groff, Red Cross instructor.
One goal of the training is to help the Red Cross make the best use of limited resources. "By having homegrown talent, we don't have to bring people in from out of South Carolina to manage larger operations and this exercise right here is designed to help us grow that talent," said Groff.
Instructors say the volunteers have learned a lot in two long days of training, which they would need if a Haiti-type disaster were to happen here. "We're just here to help the people and the stronger that we can be trained for it the better that we can help and service the clients," said Dennis James, Red Cross facilitator.
It's been ten years since the Red Cross did a training program like this, and it's one of only two exercises like it in the country. The other is on the west coast.
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