BELLEFONTE -- The town looked like a war zone yesterday.

Confused residents stared as helmet-clad members of Pennsylvania's national guard troops -- wrapped in bullet-proof vests and armed with clubs --stood on the county seat's street corners, protecting store fronts from looters.

As part of an annual mock civil disorder training session, about 72 members of Bellefonte's national guard division staved off two attempts to loot Mellon Bank, caught two snipers at the Krider Exchange Building and responded to two different bomb threats.

Company B, 2nd Batalion, 112th Infantry, conducted the mock exercise to brush up on their peacekeeping skills during a potential disaster. The troops guarded the town in two shifts of about 30 men between 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"I didn't know if Hell's Angels had come to town and whether we were supposed to stay off the streets or not," said Bellefonte resident Mary Jo Byers.

Byers was among many townspeople who woke up to see the streets scattered with troops on patrol. Lt. James Wright, who coordinated the exercise, said troops explained their presence to beleaguered residents throughout the day.

"It's a strange thing (for residents) to see," Wright said. But the exercise did not interfere with the daily routine of Bellefonte's business day, he said.

Little known to residents, the troops were protecting the town's vital emergency resources in the aftermath of a staged earthquake. Troops guarded the Undine and Logan Fire Departments, the Krider Exchange Building, the water spring and the Centre County courthouse.

In a real emergency, the national guard would protect critical communication and emergency centers and help local fire, police and rescue squads with emergency operations, Wright said.

Six members of the State College Civil Air Patrol, a search and rescue group, portrayed looters and snipers during the scenario. Wearing bright orange caps, the group split up around the town and tested the troops' abilities to defend storefronts and catch snipers.

Air Patrol First Lt. Paul Zell, a graduate student in geology at the University, said the exercise was a challenge.

Zell said the troops and looters were not supposed to make physical contact during the exercise, but there was one shoving match.

"By and large we had a good time," Zell said of the role he played in the event. "Our mission was to be general troublemakers. We had to get as close as we could to the buildings without being seen. Their job was to keep us from making trouble."

Wright met with the six looters after the exercise to evaluate the performance of the troops. Group members related incidents where troops watched them closely and escorted them away from store fronts, and others where they broke through security.

The rest of Company B conducted an identical exercise in the town of Tyrone yesterday, Wright said.