Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
Cammie Albert, a junior at Cedar Ridge, said she volunteered because she wanted to <br />be prepared to help in a real crisis. She volunteers with the Civil Air Patrol, an au xiliary <br />of the U.S. Air Force, and wanted more experience in dealing with emergencies. <br />Denis Armstrong Carter, a sophomore at Cedar Ridge, decided to speak with a <br />Ukranian accent to add variety to the exercise. <br />"I like doing natural-disaster things, and it's fun to help the community," he said. "I <br />wanted to see how quickly we can respond to this." <br />Taylor Balog, a 10th-grader at Orange High School, also volunteers with the Civil Air <br />Patrol, where she participates in search operations. <br />"I came here to play the victim," she said before heading into the gym. <br />Also participating was 14-year-old Weston Hubbell, a student at C.W. Stanford Middle <br />School. <br />"I thought it would be interesting to help people be safe and help the community," he <br />said. <br />Stacy Shelp, public information officer for the Orange County Health Department, said <br />Wednesday's event should reassure the public. <br />"It's the best way to test and train your staff for a real-world scenario," she said. "It's not <br />just a plan that sits on a shelf. The more that we can be prepared for the unexpected, <br />the better it will be for all of us." <br />