ST. LOUIS — St. Louis first responders will be training for disaster scenarios this week, and they are asking residents to keep their eyes on the road and avoid some parts of downtown in the next few days.
The City of St. Louis Emergency Management Agency is working with multiple city agencies for a three-day training session, July 15-17.
The exercises will be visible on the 8th Street side of Busch Stadium, but residents should avoid the area and stay focused on the road if driving in the area. Police will close 8th Street at Clark Street during daylight hours to keep people away from the area.
An announcement from the city's emergency management agency said the drill will take first responders through a response plan to an 8.4 magnitude earthquake along the New Madrid fault line.
"The three-day exercise will simulate a focused response to structural damage, civilian casualties and chemical contamination in the vicinity of Busch Stadium during a baseball game," the announcement said.
The drills will involve about 500 people, including local emergency responders, military responders, hospitals and volunteers.
The announcement said military vehicles would be used in the exercise, and drivers could expect military vehicle traffic on Interstate 55 on Monday morning.
The training will be led by Task Force 46 of the Michigan National Guard, which has led similar training in Nashville. The announcement said this is the first time the St. Louis area has been chosen to host the full-scale, multi-domain exercises.