More than 135 volunteers took part in a weekend emergency response exercise that operated in four areas, two in Las Vegas and two others in Laughlin and Pahrump.
In Summerlin, Cornerstone Christian Fellowship Church, 5825 Eldora Ave., was the designated site. The event, held Dec. 1, involved only discussions.
Participants included Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Southern Nevada Chapter of the America Red Cross and the Amateur Radio Emergency Services, a nationwide volunteer group that uses ham radios to assist communications between agencies.
The disaster drill was the second the Red Cross has coordinated in the past six months. It was an exercise primarily to train volunteers.
"In addition to experience, it also reinforces how to work more closely with other organizations," said Kris Darnall, director of communications for the Red Cross. "Those relationships, if a disaster were to occur, would be critical."
She said most of the training involved making sure individual volunteers knew what to do. Those people were taught the responsibilities of various agencies and how they worked together, plus the logistics involved.
"They had me process people as though they were displaced," said LaVonne Cyprain, a retail clerk who was there to volunteer her time.
She said the forms she had to fill out included questions on whether people had pets, their medications and whether they had any handicaps.
Most Southern Nevada disaster assistance, Darnall said, is "related to house fires. We see on the order of one each day."
The second cause of disaster relief is related to flooding. Even a small storm can produce flooding in Southern Nevada, because the desert soil does not absorb water easily, said Scott Emerson, director of service delivery of services for the Red Cross.
In January 2005, the Red Cross faced such a challenge when heavy rainfall closed roads, moved railroad tracks and the Muddy River overtook Overton homes.
Las Vegas Emergency Medical Animal Shelter attended the Summerlin drill with its new 33-foot-long animal rescue trailer, which was available for tours. The $70,000 trailer was funded through FEMA and can provide on-site services for veterinary emergencies, as well as take in animals in disaster areas.
"We don't want another Katrina," said Floyd Womble, animal control supervisor for the city of Las Vegas. "We don't want people to die because they stay in a disaster area because they won't leave their pets."
During the drill, the trailer's 20 cages held only stuffed Disney characters pinned with signs like, "I am a hamster" -- a visual aid for volunteers.
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