Louisville And Southern Indiana Emergency Officials To Conduct Large-Scale Counter Terrorism Exercise

Louisville And Southern Indiana Emergency Officials To Conduct Large-Scale Counter-Terrorism Exercise

LOUISVILLE, KY (September 28, 2021) – Emergency officials from Louisville and Southern Indiana will conduct a large-scale counter-terrorism training exercise on Friday, October 1, 2021, with sites on both sides of the Ohio River, starting at 9 a.m.

In Louisville, the “Operation Thunderstruck” exercise will be conducted at Cardinal Stadium, 2800 S. Floyd St. In Southern Indiana, it will be conducted at the Clark County Fairgrounds, 9608 IN-62; the Jeffersonville Riverstage, W. Riverside Dr.; Jeffersonville Police Department, 2218 E. 10^th St.; and the Hobby Lobby parking lot, 750 E. Lewis and Clark Pkwy.

More than 350 first responders and officials will participate in the exercise, including representatives of federal, state, and local governments, as well as non-governmental organizations and the private sector.

It will not be open to the public, although each site will include a media staging area. Credentialed media planning to attend must RSVP to jessica.wethington@louisvilleky.gov by 3 p.m. Thursday, September 30, 2021, and will need to be at their site of choice no later than 8:15 a.m. on Friday for screening.

Local and state officials will participate in a press conference to discuss learnings and observations from the training exercise at noon Friday at Cardinal Stadium.

“Operation Thunderstruck” is made possible through a $2.3 million Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack (CCTA) grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The objective is to build and sustain capabilities of local, state, tribal, and territorial jurisdictions and enhance preparedness for any potential complex coordinated terrorist attacks.

Specific goals include training personnel and educating the community about plans and processes designed to respond to such an incident, while also identifying capability gaps so they can be immediately addressed and resolved.

“Operation Thunderstruck” is sponsored by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Kentucky Division of Emergency Management, Kentucky Office of Homeland Security, and Louisville Metro Emergency Services.

Quotes from local officials:

“A lot of hard work and planning has gone into this event in the past few years to make this terrorist exercise a reality,” said Steve Cox, Executive Director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS). “This has allowed decisions makers from both states an opportunity to work directly to plan a response, address gaps and focus on ways to protect life and property should this part of the country ever experience a terror attack.”

“The safety and security of our residents and employees is the No. 1 priority for Louisville Metro Government, and it’s critical we provide our first responders and officials with the training and tools necessary to ensure they’re prepared and well-trained,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “Thank you to the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management, Kentucky Office of Homeland Security, and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security for their partnership and cooperation as we work to ensure our region is prepared for a seamless, coordinated response to any major incident.”

“Hosted in the Commonwealth’s largest city, the CCTA full-scale exercise, is the culmination of recent years of training focused on prevention and response to organized acts of violence, in collaboration with our local, state and federal partners”, said Michael Dossett, Director of the Kentucky Emergency Management. “The event will highlight the efforts of our first responders in actions taken in the protection of our citizens, to enhance the safety and resilience of our whole community. Thank you to Mayor Greg Fischer, Louisville Metro EMA, Kentucky Office of Homeland Security, Indiana Department of Homeland Security and our extended state participants for embracing this exceptional opportunity in partnerships.”