CERT in Action!
Village, Utah, where they helped to coordinate
volunteer efforts and support professional
responders. Photos courtesy of John Ellsworth.
Hidden Village, Utah CERT Responds to Canyon Road Landslide
Shortly before noon on July 11, 2009, a landslide associated with an irrigation canal breach moved rapidly down a steep hillside on Canyon Road in Logan, Utah. Three people were killed when their home was completely demolished; 16 other homes were damaged. The Hidden Village Neighborhood CERT was activated to respond to the crisis. A wife of a CERT member spotted the landslide and within 23 minutes six CERT members had arrived on the scene and immediately set up a command post and radio communications center. The team took on most of the CERT Incident Command (IC) positions, developed teams and shifts, and put in more than 232 hours during the 5-day incident. "Sixteen of our Hidden Village CERT [members] engaged and responded," said Sue Shaw, Hidden Village Emergency Preparedness Leader.
Shaw served as a recorder on the first day of the incident, working with Incident Commander John Ellsworth. They began by orienting volunteers – 300 in the first shift – and assigning them to cleanup sites. Noting their efforts, EMS Coordinator and Assistant Fire Chief Will Lusk then tasked the CERT to oversee the organization and supervision of hundreds of additional volunteers, which on Sunday totaled 784. The volunteers were responsible for cleanup on the affected streets in preparation for city cleaning crews to begin their work.
CERT personnel were asked to cover 4-hour shifts over the next 24 hours to ensure emergency personnel had the necessary supplies. Their success in this area led the city to continue CERT deployment on Monday, July 13, placing them in charge of water and food distribution for emergency personnel. CERTs also continued to organize and direct volunteers, and provide security for the command center and a church being used as a shelter. "We held the fort so to speak in the first 2 days of the disaster," said Shaw. Their experience training together as a neighborhood, participating in exercises, their familiarity with the command center, and the variety of tasks they had to fulfill, "kept the CERT [members] alert and active during their 4-hour shifts," said Shaw.
Hidden Village CERT remained on the scene and in action from the beginning of the incident until final wrap-up occurred 5 days later. Logan City officials are now convinced that CERT members can fill an important and vital role in disaster response and management. Meetings have been scheduled with city officials to determine the appropriate role and the best method to utilize CERT in the future. Logan County Fire Department Assistant Chief Lusk emphasized that CERT was crucial to the recovery effort. "They're a group of people that deserve a lot of credit," he said. "They have the heart and soul of a champion."
For more information, please contact Dennis and Sue Shaw at sueshaw@homeownerswelcome.com.