CERT in Action!
Wahpeton, ND CERTs Respond to Industrial Fire
On the morning of February 18, 2008, a fire broke out at the Industrial Plating Corp. in Wahpeton, North Dakota, which uses a variety of chemicals, including hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, and zinc. Nearly 500 people were forced to evacuate their homes because of the risk of chemical exposure.
With temperatures well below zero, emergency shelters were immediately set up to shelter the evacuees from the cold. Nine CERT volunteers from the Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) arrived to help with shelter and support operations.
An additional 15 CERT members helped provide security at traffic intersections near the site of the blaze, setting up road blocks around the perimeter of the disaster area to secure the site against unauthorized entry.
CERT volunteers helped 55 evacuees who stayed at the shelter for 6 hours until they were allowed to return home. The shelter volunteers registered people to make it easier for family members to find each other, helped find shelters for pets, and served lunch and provided information and updates to the evacuees.
The wide age range of the evacuees (from 5 to 92 years) and their diverse requirements presented a particular challenge. Pets were also a challenge for the volunteers, because many people were unwilling to evacuate without their pets. Several local businesses and people who were not required to evacuate were willing to take pets so that evacuees could leave knowing their pets were safe. A list of pet shelters, compiled before the incident, was of particular help, and demonstrated the importance of preparedness in even the smallest matters.
The CERT members who assisted in this event worked as a team using their CERT skills and came away from the disaster with newly acquired skills for the next event. “I was glad that we had a relatively small evacuation,” said one of the CERT members. “This was an excellent training opportunity for a larger disaster. It was a small part of town that was evacuated, and people were out of their homes for only a few hours. I certainly learned a lot that I will be able to use for future situations.”