Kanawha River Railroad Participates in Simulated Disaster Watco’s Kanawha River Railroad (KNWA) team recently participated in a statewide exercise with the National Guard designed to simulate a large-scale disaster. The simulated disaster, called Vigilant Guard, was a stalled hurricane hovering over West Virginia, dropping massive amounts of water. The participants had to learn how to manage flash flooding, mudslides, and dam breaches that led to road closures, evacuations, and aerial and swift-water boat rescues of people and animals. Hazardous materials accident response was part of the scenario, including mock train derailments, tanker truck wrecks, gas line ruptures, explosions, and fires. The event brought together more than 1,000 military personnel, first responders, and private-sector partners who assisted with the simulated disaster.
10 The Dispatch | September 2021
