Baltimore area officials huddled around tables in Millersville on Tuesday preparing for Hurricane Mindy, which is just days away from barreling up the Chesapeake Bay.

The officials mapped out where fire trucks, rescue personnel and boats would be needed when Mindy makes landfall Thursday, bringing 130-mph winds and an 8-foot storm surge.

Or so they imagined, as fire, police and government officials conducted a training exercise to prepare the region for a major hurricane.

“None of us are big enough to handle a disaster of this size alone,” said Howard County Fire Chief Joseph Herr said. “We have to ... work together.”

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The simulated disaster is part of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council effort to have a regional approach to natural and man-made catastrophes.

“What happens in Anne Arundel is likely to affect southern Baltimore, especially Dundalk and Essex,” Baltimore County Fire Division Chief Michael Robinson said.

The officials, clad in neon green vests and tags denoting their departments, began at 9 a.m. and planned for the imaginary Category 3 storm.

They assigned units and people to various stations in areas such as Galesville and Shady Side according to needs listed on large placards. A computer system was set up to show where units would be dispatched.

The exercise also helps officials document what resources were used, which will help the counties recoup money when applying for federal reimbursement, said Burton Phelps, an instructor with the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg.

“If a disaster strikes, this team could go and do a respectable job in terms of handling the situation and managing resources,” Phelps said.

Radio communication, which was an issue with county and state agencies during a Bay Bridge accident earlier this year, will not be a problem as the regional command group would work with just the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, Herr said.

The training exercise is the first of four to be conducted this year. The next one will take place October in Baltimore City, when officials will simulate a “dirty bomb” explosion in the Inner Harbor.

jflanagan@baltimoreexaminer.com