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Current CERT News

Be Prepared for tornados and thunderstorms

 It is that time of year where tornados and thunderstorms can pop up rather quickly.  Here are some tips for you for this spring and summer season. 

 
             Familiarize yourself with the terms that are used to identify a weather hazard.  Know the difference                    between a watch and a warning.  Watch means there is the possibility of severe weather in your area.  A            warning means that weather is already occurring or will likely occur soon.

                         If you are advised to take shelter, do so immediately.  In a tornado warning, go to the lowest level possible         away from windows, corners, doors and outside walls.  If you don’t have access to a basement level, go             into a small interior room or hallway on the lowest level possible. 

                 If you are outside and do not have shelter, then lie flat in a ditch.  Avoid overpasses and bridges.

                         In a thunderstorm, seek shelter, however, if not available, go to the lowest area nearby and make yourself       the smallest target possible, do not lie flat on the ground in lightning.  Avoid hilltops, trees, being on open           water, open fields and any metal object like farm equipment, golf carts and clubs, bicycles, etc.

            Secure outdoor objects that could blow around and cause damage

                 If you can see lightning and can’t count to 30 before hearing thunder, you can be struck by it even if the           storm seems miles away.  Seek shelter immediately. 

                 As always with any weather condition, have your NOAA weather radio handy and listen for instructions on          taking safety precautions and then when it is all clear.

           Always have your 72 hour kit available and take it to the shelter with you

          Have a plan ahead of time on where you will take shelter so you can react immediately in case you don’t         have much time when the storm hits.  Make sure everyone in your family is aware of the plan and where the     shelter is.

Brown County CERT teams have some new tools in their arsenal of equipment!! They now have 10 DeLorme PN-40 GPS units to help in search & rescue and evacuations. The new units will help provide documentation of areas that have been searched and also to help provide documented maps of structures that have been evacuated. The teams are currently receiving training on these units and should be ready to put the new equipment to use by the first of the year.

The County CERT teams particiapated in the Brown County Emergency Managment full scale exercise  on September 27^th at the Advanced Bio-Energy Plant.  The drill was to test Haz Mat response and evacuations.  The CERT teams helped by setting up the mobile command trailer, assisted law enforcement in creating a secure perimeter and also helped with evacuation notices.

 CERT teams again proved to be a valuable resource to the area. Thanks to all CERT members that participated.

Brown County CERT Team News: 

Team 1 news: 

Team #1 is back to having monthly meeting after taking the summer off from the monthly meeting. 

 Monthly meeting was the only thing Team #1 took off for the summer.  During the last few months team members have been involved in the following activities.

                         National Night Out

                        The Airport Disaster Drill

                        NRA Sport Fest

                        Care Flight Training

                        The Point of Dispensing drill

                        Visited the National Weather Service and received training there

                        Review Several Chapters in the CERT Manual

                        Reviewed equipment location and uses

                        Learned how to set up the command trailer

                        Attended a Search and Rescue class

                        Attended ICS training

                        Attended training the trainer class in Pierre

The Groton Elevator Fire

 At our September meeting we put together a list of things that we will be training on over the next several months.  We have a full slate of things to accomplish.

 I am sure that there are those of you who would like to receive CERT Training, but do not feel like coming alone.  You do not have to come alone.  CERT can be a family project.  Team #1 has four husband and wife members, and two team members that will be married this fall for a total of five families.

I hope everyone had a great summer and the snow will be here before you know it.

Team 2 news: 
 Team 2 is made up members from the Aberdeen and Hecla area. Some of the members of the team are also Ham Radio operators. Past activities included participation by team members in some of the group training including, search and rescue, vehicle orientation, ICS 100, Fire ground training, the Ice Dive-Winter weather care. The Ham Radio operators also have participated in the NWS Sky-warn and are planning on do so again this spring and summer and will be participating in the Sky-warn classes in April 2009. Sky-warn is a volunteer spotter program to assist the National Weather Service and Emergency Management in severe weather, by providing additional eyes in the field. The next team meeting for Team 2 will be Thursday February 26, 2009 -- 6:30 at the Blue Building. We will regroup and plan our meetings for the next 6 months.

Team 3 news:  
Team 3 has added 3 new members! Thank you for joining our team. I know each one of you will be a great addition. We had out last meeting on November 2nd and talked about our most recent call outs. We are getting very good turn  outs which is being noticied by the public. It is giving us a very good name out there. Way to go  everyone! We discussed the new equipment that we have added to the CERT trailer. Team 3 your goal for the next month is to add these three  thing to your 72 hour kit: Radio w/batteries, Flashlight w/batteries, and water (1 gal per person per day).  See you at hte Christmas Party!

Team 4 news: 

We used the ICS-100 class as our November team meeting.  It is always of value to go through this class so we better understand the chain of command on CERT call outs.

We also had our December team meeting in November to accommodate the ordering of new rain gear.  At this meeting we learned how to use MRE meals.  It gives a person new insights into what our troops in the mid-east are going through. It also helped to prepare us for a long term call out were we may not have food readily available.

Team 4 will be the host for the Fire Safety class that will be held on the 12^th of January.  More details to follow on the fire safety training as to exact time and location.

Team 5 news: 

Team 5 has been involved in the following activities this summer.  Local CERT appreciation picnic, CERT call out for a lost child, National Night Out, equipment familiarization with the Aberdeen Rural Fire Dept., Sky-warn spotter classes.  We plan to resume monthly meetings this fall and review our training manual, help with equipment maintenance of CERT equipment, and continue to be trained through various classes.

 Testimonial by Gretchen Mayer

CERT Testimonial by Becky Burdick