Full-scale disaster drill in Port of Cleveland on Tuesday

CLEVELAND - A warehouse near Cleveland Browns Stadium and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be the site of a disaster drill on Tuesday, so don’t be alarmed by unusual sights and sounds.

The full-scale disaster drill, called “Hotter in Cleveland,” is the result of eight months of planning. About 51 agencies on the local, state and federal levels will converge on the Port of Cleveland.

“It’s really an opportunity for 51 agencies to come together when they don’t normally come together day in and day out to really try and mesh their plans,” said Director of Emergency Management at MetroHealth Medical Center Marek Owca.

While Owca didn’t want to give away too many details about the drill, he did say, “A state that’s contiguous with Ohio will have a WMD event," hinting that Michigan is the target of a fake weapons of mass destruction attack.

During the simulation, experts will evaluate the agencies. A couple weeks later, they will meet again to discuss ways to improve.

“At no time will services to the city of Cleveland or surrounding suburbs be impacted at all. If we need to stop or slow down the exercise, we certainly will do that to respond to real people in real situations.”

The exercise begins at 10 a.m. Tuesday.