CERT in Action!
Reno County, KS CERT Travels to Help Out
A half-mile-wide tornado ripped through the center of the small town of Chapman, KS, on June 11, 2008, leaving one woman dead and 75 percent of homes either damaged or destroyed. Two days later, the Dickinson County emergency manager requested assistance from volunteers across Kansas. More than 20 local CERT Programs responded, including 16 volunteers from Reno County’s CERT Program who drove 100 miles each way to contribute a combined total of more than 400 hours to the relief effort.
In Chapman, Reno County CERT coordinator Tim Newman and his team members established a check-in station for the 1,000 unaffiliated volunteers who arrived to help. “CERT members were able to see a need and fulfill it due to their team organization skills,” Newman said. Two Reno County CERT members performed clerical duties at City Hall, filing and sorting records, answering phones, and preparing for press conferences and meetings. Seven members of the Reno County CERT returned to Chapman one week later to act as supervisors and safety officers for the groups of unaffiliated volunteers who were assisting in the cleanup, a system developed by Barton County CERT member Tina Rose. “The best part of the whole thing was that CERT members worked well together, no matter which county they were from and no matter what shade of green their vest was,” Newman said.
Newman is planning an exercise in May that will be based on the CERT responses to the Chapman tornado and the Greensburg, KS, tornado in 2007. The exercise will focus on establishing a base camp for CERT and other volunteer groups, utilizing spontaneous volunteers, and controlling traffic.
For more information, please contact Tim Newman, tim.newman@renogov.org.