CERT in Action!
New Jersey CERTs Help Area Cope with Flooding
Several CERTs sprang into action to help communities in northern New Jersey deal with serious flooding that occurred in March 2011. The flooding that resulted in a state of emergency caused severe damage to hundreds of homes, and closures of area schools, roads, and shopping centers.
"Spring flooding of nearby rivers is an annual problem, so CERT members began work before the flooding even began," said Little Falls CERT Coordinator, Detective Fred Batelli. Teams went house to house into flood-prone areas of the community to hand out flyers that described what to do in case of a flood.
Once the flooding began, the Little Falls CERT was formally activated to set up an evacuation shelter at a local civic center and to prepare food for flood victims and first responders. This 20-person team contributed more than 500 hours of time staffing the shelter around the clock for a week.
Members of the Little Falls CERT had completed special shelter manager training from the Red Cross and food handling training from the Salvation Army. The Red Cross training allows the Little Falls CERT to establish approved emergency shelters without Red Cross personnel, while the Salvation Army training allows the group to safely handle and prepare food in an emergency shelter context. All food and shelter materials were provided by the Red Cross.
Although the Red Cross and Salvation Army training was originally offered as optional in-service training for CERT members, it has proven more valuable with each spring flooding episode. "Every year we do this, and it is gets better every year," said Batelli.
Additional CERTs in northern New Jersey provided traffic control support for local police departments on flooded roads.
For more information on the Little Falls CERT program, contact Detective Batelli at abatelli@littlefallspd.org.