CERT Notes: Week 1

CERT Notes: Week 1

The Wife gave me a good idea that I hadn’t thought of; posting brief notes from my 6-week CERT class.

The first class in the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a lecture about disaster preparedness.  Highlights that the instructor talked about:

  • Keep a flashlight by your bed.  In a disaster, a light is your lifeline.
  • Keep a pair of shoes by your bed.  If there is an earthquake, you won’t want to walk through broken glass.
  • Put baby locks on your upper cabinets.  If there was an earthquake, they can help prevent things from falling out and breaking or landing on someones head.
  • Put some reflective paint on your utility shutoffs.  In the middle of the night, if you need to turn them off, they will jump out at you when you shine your flashlight at them.
  • Make sure your water heater is strapped to the wall!!!
  • Think about where the gas line comes into your house.  What is right above it?  The power box.  If there was a major earthquake, turn off your gas line, for an earthquake could break both the gas line and the power lines.  Gas + electricity = big fire.
  • In a major disaster, it is often times easier to call someone out of state than instate.  Therefore, have an out of state emergency contact / check in person.  If there is a disaster, everyone in the family knows they are to call that person and check in with them.
  • The Las Vegas Valley has several major earthquake fault lines running under it.  A major earthquake here is very likely.  If and and when it happens, emergency response will be overwhelmed.  We will be left to fend for ourselves.  What will you do?

Check out more Emergency Preparedness tips at the recently updated Emergency Preparedness and Family Home Storage page at FoodStorage.MikesWorld.org

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