HARLINGEN — Twin military cargo planes airlifted injured and ill patients.
At the same time, three commercial airliners carried residents out of the area.
It was all part of the largest mock evacuation drill ever in Texas and maybe the nation.
Hundreds of officers from more than 40 agencies took part in the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Emergency Management Division operation.
The drill, dubbed Hurricane Tejas, surrounded a scenario in which a Category 4 hurricane with a strong storm surge targets the Rio Grande Valley.
The two C-130 transport planes carried volunteers acting as patients from Valley International Airport to San Antonio, where they would be sheltered.
Three commercial airliners evacuated hundreds in the roles of residents fleeing to Texas cities.
“Things went pretty good,” Charles Hoskins, deputy chief of Cameron County’s emergency management department, said at about 2:30 p.m. The drill continues today before officials gather to talk about the process, both good and bad.
Friday, officials will review the operation’s after-action report to identify areas in which they need to improve.
“There are things we probably could learn or improve on,” Hoskins said.
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