Columbia County is scheduled to hold a full scale Vigilant Guard Exercise on Wednesday, March 29, 2017. This exercise is designed to evaluate the ability to effectively use a program known as WebEOC (a web based information system that provides one access point for collecting and disseminating information) during a disaster and test operational coordination during a statewide disaster between local governments, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and the Georgia National Guard.
The event is a full scale exercise, with some functions being tested in real time and others simulated due to complexity and the magnitude of the exercise. The primary simulated hazard will encompass a Category 3 Hurricane, with secondary hazards to include flooding, widespread power outages, and 750,000 cubic yards of mixed debris.

One of the primary goals is to conduct a safe exercise to meet state requirements while providing for city, county and state disaster sector disciplines to train together using WebEOC in preparation for an actual event. Exercise objectives include testing existing plans to prepare for, mitigate and respond to, and recover from emergencies. At the end, it will help identify areas for improvement relative to specific objectives and core capabilities.

In addition to the activation of the EOC, Georgia National Guard units are also being deployed within Columbia County to further develop resource support coordination between Columbia County and the Georgia National Guard.

A schedule of events is listed below.

- Chainsaw Training / National Guard: Friday, March 24, 2017
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Roads & Bridges Training Room (2257 County Camp Rd, Appling)

- Vigilant Guard Full Scale Exercise: Wednesday, March 29, 2017
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM, Columbia County EOC (650 Ronald Reagan Drive, Bldg A, Evans)