HAVERHILL - Imagine this: A terrorist group aligned with a faction of

inmates at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility fires a projectile and blows up a chemical tanker car at the Sunoco Chemical Plant.

In turn, the tanker cars release dangerous chemicals into the air. The blast is so powerful that cars on nearby U.S. 52 are damaged, nearby Wheelersburg is evacuated. Twenty people are dead.

For more than four hours Wednesday, members of more than 30

emergency services agencies, industries and utilities from Lawrence and Scioto counties did more than imagine that scenario. They practiced what they would do if an event ever really happened.

The emergency services drill at the Sunoco Chemical Plant in Haverhill was meant to simulate an actual emergency and test local response. The drill was a no-fault, no inspection learning tool to allow responders

an opportunity to work together and hone their skills.

"We will be able to see what things need to be changed, what we're doing right,"

Hazardous materials team member Charles Rogers said. "This is very important that we do this so we can be prepared."

Thirty days from now, a team of evaluators who observed operations will hand back a list of strengths and weaknesses.

Scioto County Emergency Management Agency Public Information Officer Larry Mullins said that even though this scenario focused on a terrorist attack, the experience gained is applicable in other emergency situations.

"Even though this is a (mock) chemical attack, the things these agencies learn from this can apply to other disasters, too," Mullins said.

The drill was one of 25 such exercises planned throughout the state this year.