ATLANTA — Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency is participating Thursday in a "nuclear detonation" simulation with U.S. Northern Command.
The county said in a release that it would be a table-top exercise to simulate "the response 48 hours after a nuclear detonation and the resulting nuclear fallout."
The table-top exercise, called Vista Forge, focuses "on the roles of participants and organizations involved in public information, decontamination of humans and animals and family assistance centers when responding to a nuclear detonation and aftermath."
It's happening at the old Turner Field, now Georgia State University Center Parc Stadium.
The county's release does not mention Russia's war in Ukraine - which has raised concerns worldwide about the use of nuclear weapons - as any kind of impetus for the exercise.
Atlanta-Fulton County EMA Director Matthew Kallmyer said a nuclear detonation is a "catastrophic event that none of us ever hope to experience."
"When approaching events of this magnitude, preparation is key," he said. "Exercises like this give us the opportunity to put key players in the same place at the same time to discuss a coordinated response and team effort."