Emergency preparedness fest will include Civic Center evacuation drill

Prepare Fest, Oklahoma City’s first emergency preparedness festival, is set for 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N Walker Ave.

Prepare Fest will highlight the importance of creating a readiness plan for natural disasters, including tornadoes, floods, earthquakes and wildfires, as well as for public health or safety threats, such as active shooter incidents, according to a news release.

Residents can speak with local emergency responders and community service organizations as well as attend an emergency preparedness seminar that begins at 11 a.m.

Seminar speakers will include police Lt. Frank Barnes, from the Oklahoma City Office of Emergency Management, National Weather Service meteorologist Rick Smith and the state Health Department’s Glenda Ford Lee.

Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Jason Knight will introduce the city’s new “See Something, Say Something” program, launched in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

At the end of the seminar, participants will take part in a mock emergency evacuation of the Civic Center Music Hall. The drill will help Civic Center staff and volunteers train to evacuate people from a large event, and participants can see a large event evacuation plan in action.

Admission is free, with lunch courtesy of the Municipal Employees Credit Union. Advanced registration required. To register, visit the calendar pages of okcciviccenter. com or okc.gov/parks.

For more information, call the Civic Center Music Hall at 297-2584 or the Oklahoma City Parks & Recreation Department at 297-3882.