CERT Basic Training:

260 people participated in community emergency response training. CERT basic educates volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations.

 

Distributed PPE including cloth masks:

Saving the City of Denham Springs nearly 100 man hours and allowing professional emergency responders such as the fire and police departments to respond to emergency calls. 

 

Food Distribution:

CERT members distributed over 70,000 lbs of food to families in need during the pandimic.

 

Created a quarantine shelter for emergency services workers:

This provided a place for emergency responders that were exposed to the covid-19 virus on the job a place to stay until they were cleared to go home. Many of our Police and Firefighters live with a love one that is immunocompromised, having this shelter gave them peace of mind.

 

Emergency Sheltering:

Historically the Red Cross has been responsible for the emergency sheltering of victims displaced during a disaster.  Due to many of their volunteers being in the high-risk category for the covid-19 virus, they were unable to provide this service in 2020. 

The Community Emergency Response Team was given the task by the Livingston Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to operate these shelters if the need arose.  We teamed up with the Red Cross and trained 46 people how to operate a shelter of last resort.

 

Animal Rescue and Sheltering:

CERT hosted trainings to equip our community to handle pets during a disaster.  Louisiana State Animal Response Team provided an 8-hour hybrid training which was attended by over 50 people.  We were taught the proper way to rescue pets seperated from their owners, how to set up and safely run a temporary animal shelter, and how to recognize an animal in distress.

 

Filled thousands of sandbags:

Many of our neighbors no not have the physical streangth to handle the strenous task of filling sandbags.  CERT members were able to assist the City of Denham Springs in filling thousands of sandbags for the elderly or inifirmed to protect their property from flooding.

 

Emergency Communications:

Developed and implemented an emergency communications plan to provide amateur radio operators to the Emergency Operations Center during a disaster.