Gotland evacuation drill starts Monday; nobody leaves the island

An evacuation exercise on Gotland is bringing extra buses, police and military vehicles to the island from 5 to 8 October. Nobody will be moved to the mainland, and the exercise does not mean the risk of a crisis has increased, Region Gotland says.

A separate police–military exercise runs on the same dates. Participants may carry visible weapons near exercise sites, which will be marked with exercise tents, and helicopters will fly over central and other parts of Gotland. Police say this drill is not part of the evacuation exercise; Monday’s joint activities are on Gotska Sandön.

The evacuation drill’s largest movements are planned for Wednesday, 7 October, when volunteers playing evacuees will travel between locations that will not be announced in advance.

The region’s notice asks people to keep away from exercise areas, follow signs and instructions, and drive past slowly without stopping. Residents may see groups in usually quiet places and signs identifying the drill.

Hundreds of people and several organisations will take part in the evacuation exercise. It tests coordination, leadership and transport arrangements; the region describes it as the first evacuation drill on this scale since the 1960s.

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