In Case Of Emergency, Read Blog

On Sunday, I participated in “Operation Safe PATH 2009,” the largest terrorism drill in New York City since 9/11. I was one of approximately 150 Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members who played bombing ‘victims’ for the exercise.

I am standing outside the PATH train station near the site of World Trade Center along with other [...]

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I received an email today from New York City’s Office of Emergency Management asking CERT members, like myself, to “spread the word to your fellow New Yorkers on how to avoid spreading the flu.” So, I am posting the email below. (Several hours earlier, I had watched with some amusement Mayor Bloomberg explain at news [...]

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Since CERT teams are comprised of citizen volunteers who are not usually deployed on a frequent basis, there is a need for refresher work both in the classroom and out in the field. One typical task for NYC-CERT teams is to help direct traffic (whether it be during a power failure or other emergency), which is [...]

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The dictionary defines “volunteer” as “a person who performs a service willingly and without pay.” Yet, there is a great value in finding small rewards that can help bring in and retain disaster volunteers. I know that from my own experience with CERT, but I also heard a similar message at a Business Roundtable-Partnership For Disaster Response [...]

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I attended a ceremony today marking the 1st anniversary of the construction crane accident that killed seven people in midtown Manhattan. 

Neighborhood residents, survivors of the accident, CERT team members who responded, local politicians and the media gathered in front of the construction site.

A moment of silence was observed at 2:22pm when the accident occurred.

These icons link [...]

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As has been discussed often on this blog, I believe that a key to creating a real culture of preparedness throughout the nation is getting the topic taught in schools. Not only would it prepare a generation for the future, but sometimes the best way to convince parents in the present is through their kids. Yet [...]

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This week, I happened to be on the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) page of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security website. (I was creating a link for a previous blog post which suggested CERT as one way to answer President Obama’s call for Americans to volunteer in their communities.)
While on the site, I was pleasantly surprised [...]

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I just received a photo of myself with Mayor Bloomberg from the 5th Anniversary NYC-CERT party held this summer. At the beginning of the event, hundreds of CERT members lined up to get a quick ‘grip and grin’ with the Mayor on the porch of his official residence, Gracie Mansion. I mention this photo not [...]

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I spent much of last night on the streets of New York pushing preparedness. Specifically, I was in Columbus Circle near the southwest entrance of Central Park with my CERT team along with representatives of the New York police and fire departments as part of the annual “National Night Out”. It was the 25th anniversary [...]

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I am very excited and a little proud that Roger Ma, a frequent contributor to this blog, has been selected as the Team Chief of the new Community Board #7 CERT team for the Sunset Park/Windsor Terrace area of Brooklyn.
As readers may recall, Roger contacted me in the Spring after I discussed my own involvement in [...]

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