By: Mary E. Franke & David M. Simpson
Center for Hazards Research and Policy Development
University of Louisville

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Executive Summary

The primary research question we examined was to what degree community emergency response teams (CERT) played a role in the experience of Hurricane Isabel in Virginia. We were seeking examples of how these organizations might affect community level preparedness and response or even affect behavior at the individual and household level.

To explore this question, we identified 11 active CERT programs in Virginia and arranged on-site interviews with the program managers and coordinators. Of the 11 programs, 5 were city-based and 6 were county-based. The programs were all located in counties that received federal disaster declarations as a result of the hurricane.

The overall conclusion of this study is that the programs were still in the early stages of development and had yet to create a clear role for themselves in relation to the established emergency management functions. It was clear, however, that the programs were well regarded by those working with them and that there is tremendous potential for these organizations to have a greater impact on individual and household preparedness and to assist first responders when needed. The experience of the hurricane in several cases "sold" the emergency management administrators on the value that these organizations can provide in assisting with response tasks. Because this research only included program managers, it was not possible to determine the effect of the training on individual participants. Follow-up research, through survey or sampled interviews, would help identify the effects of the training on participants.