The Hickory High School parking lot was filled with emergency vehicles and people wearing bright green jackets on Sunday. But there was no emergency.
It was actually a Point of Dispensing Drill, to gauge emergency response abilities in Mercer County in the event of an infectious disease outbreak.
The Mercer County Pandemic Committee, which was created by the county's Department of Public Safety, put together the drill. Committee member Albert Boland says, "we have an appointed dispensing drill that has been in the planning process since July 2008."
The drill was meant to test the county's ability to dispense medicine to large portions of the population, in a short period of time.
During the drill Sunday, organizers gave out free seasonal flu vaccines to Mercer County residents, and they took people through the same process they would if it was an emergency.
Organizers say they plan to do more drills like this one at other facilities throughout Mercer County.
