What Substantiates The Need For A CERT ?

• Various reports of “Lessons Learned” from different disasters including the most recent weather disasters; Hugo in 1989, Andrew in 1992 and the “Unnamed Storm of 1993”.

• One study of particular impact was released in June, 1990 by the Urban Institute of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on the Lessons Learned from Hurricane Hugo. Hugo struck Charlotte after traveling 200 miles inland while maintaining hurricane force winds that did damage estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

• Excerpts of the Study are quoted

  • “Emergency plans must find ways to incorporate citizens, a tremendous resource.....find ways to increase citizen participation”
  • “More training in emergency response is needed, not only for public employees, but for all segments of the community.”
  • “Identify ways to create neighborhood contacts or teams to help in an emergency....”
  • “Identify priority agencies and businesses to be assisted in regaining operation....Grocery stores and banks may need greater attention and assistance from government than previously recognized.”
  • “Special attention needs to be directed to poorer neighborhoods....poor citizens have fewer personal financial resources to help recover from an emergency...”
  • “Find ways to incorporate and to legitimize citizen involvement in emergency response...”
  • “Conduct more training for emergencies, especially for personnel working in group facilities such as schools, jails and senior centers.”
  • “Explore ways to get information to employees about the safety of their families in an emergency. One of the key factors related to keeping any employee on the job...is knowledge about the safety of the family.”
  • “Establish a business emergency response committee to plan coordinated assistance from business to the community.”
  • “Devise ways to get services out to needy citizens in a more timely manner.”
  • “Contact neighborhood associations prior to an emergency to identify neighborhood volunteers.”