Multi-state emergency responders prepared for the worst Saturday, a loss of communications during an extreme winter storm, in a mock disaster training at WVU-P.

Participants role-played in operation "I.R. Phone Home," that there was no access to interstates and also acts of terrorism that took advantage of the vulnerability in the aftermath from the storm. It was a test run for when voice and data communications fail during an event such as this.

West Virginia and Ohio military along with private and volunteer communications resources on the federal, state, local and regional levels gathered on campus. Aproximately 128 people participated and 20 agencies from outside Wood County.

"It's been a huge task for everybody not just the local area level but also state and federal levels and we've had better networking now than we've ever had in the past and I've been involved in the last 30 years," said Mike Daley, Chief, Eastwood VFD, WVDOH.

Jim Rose with the Regional Threat Preparedness of the Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department organized the event and Daley said the idea came from an inoperable communications meeting.

A critique session is planned for the beginning of next year and a follow-up mock disaster communications drill is scheduled for the spring.