The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) concept was developed by the LA Fire Department. In 1985. They realized that in the early stages of a disaster, citizens would very likely be on their own. Therefore, they developed a program of basic training in survival and rescue skills to improve the chances of survival until trained first responders or other assistance arrived.
The program initiated by LAFD proved so beneficial that FEMA expanded the program to communities nationwide. In 1994, the materials were expanded to make them applicable to all hazards. In 2003, President Bush asked all Americans to volunteer in service to their country. The Citizen Corps and CERT programs were selected as two of the primary programs to meet this challenge by providing training, education, and volunteer service.
In 1996, Hurricane Fran roared through Franklin County wreaking havoc on Lake Royale and the surrounding areas. At that time, we had no formal emergency response plan. However, we did have many committed property owners (camping and residential alike) who banded together and worked toward the common goal of recovery. From our experience with Fran, Lake Royale’s first emergency operations plan (EOP) was born.
In subsequent years, we faced Hurricanes Dennis and Floyd and several ice storms. Each provided its own challenges. We also realized that, over time, our EOP had fallen into “disrepair.” After the ice storm of 2002, the EOP was revisited and, combined with a grant from the NC Dept of Emergency Management and FEMA, the Lake Royale CERT program began.
The first group of individual volunteers have taken the CERT training. Lake Royale has qualified for a second grant to expand the training to new members. What we need are the new members. Please contact Stuart Nottingham, (252)478-4772, for further information or to join.