Big disaster drill will be held today on Newport Beach coast

The biggest maritime disaster drill in Orange County in two decades will be held Wednesday in Newport Beach, testing the land-, sea- and air-based emergency response plans and rescue operations of many federal, state, county and local agencies.

The scene will be a simulated boating accident just off the coast of Corona del Mar. Emergency workers will conduct activities between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., primarily at Corona del Mar State Beach but also at Crystal Cove State Park and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol facility off Bayside Drive. The public is welcome to watch, officials said.

“Public agencies plan for emergencies and continually test those plans, but it’s important that we also periodically test our coordinated response,” Assistant Newport Beach Fire Chief Rob Williams said in a statement. “We do that at the county level every several years, but we appreciate the opportunity to work with our partners at the federal and state level as well.”

Participants in the drill will include the U.S. Coast Guard, the California Department of Parks and Recreation, state park lifeguards, and public-safety personnel from 12 cities and Orange County.

The exercise is funded by a federal grant the city of Newport Beach obtained from the Urban Areas Security Initiative.

Officials said small sections of the coast may be temporarily closed during the exercise but that the drill will not affect boat traffic in Newport Harbor.