KILLONA — St. Charles Parish officials and emergency personnel recently tested their ability to respond to a terrorist incident at Killona’s Waterford 3 nuclear facility during a biennial exercise, for which the parish received a passing grade.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency evaluated multi-agency response activities, including those of the state, parish and Waterford 3 itself. The exercise was conducted June 24 at Waterford 3 and required the full activation of the St. Charles Parish Emergency Operation Center.

The exercise tested 16 objectives, including the adequacy of the EOC to support ongoing emergency operations, the ability of the EOC to communicate with other emergency organizations and the ability of the EOC to make protective action decisions for persons with disabilities.

“The results of this exercise reflect our ability to respond to not only a radiological threat affecting our area but also one that involves severe terrorism,” St. Charles Parish Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Ron Perry said. “As always, our ability to respond effectively to an emergency hinges upon the strategic partnership established between different agency responders.”

While the large-scale exercise usually assesses emergency response to a radiological release, this year’s exercise marked the first time in recent years that participants were tested on their response to a hostile action scenario.

Once the EOC was activated, the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office established an incident command post near the nuclear facility to direct local response. In addition, a joint information center was established to relay information to the media at an Entergy office in Algiers.