N.J. disaster training to simulate aftermath of severe wind storm

A state special operations team will be training with the New Jersey National Guard to simulate the aftermath of a straight-line wind storm known as a derecho.

New Jersey Office of Emergency Management 

Members of a New Jersey special operations team are undergoing training on Sunday to hone their skills on how to respond to the aftermath of a disaster.

The State Urban Search and Rescue Task Force's New Jersey Task Force One will work with the New Jersey Army National Guard to practice search and rescue operations after a simulated straight-line wind storm, which is known as a derecho.

Violent storm that slammed South Jersey is known as derecho

The training, hosted by the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, involves the search and rescue of "victims" trapped under rubble and in confined spaces and transporting them via Black Hawk helicopters to safety. K9s will also be used to help in the searches.

In one of the most severe straight-line wind storms in the Mid-Atlantic states, a derecho slammed South Jersey in June 2012, pounding parts of Atlantic and Salem counties with severe lightning, wind gusts reaching 74 mph and hail.

The training, to be conducted at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, runs from 1 to 4 p.m.