CERT in Action!
flooding in North Dakota.
Photo courtesy of Sarah Werner.
North Dakota CERTs Provide Assistance During Flood
North Dakota is used to harsh winters. However, spring 2009 found the State suffering more than usual as that winters record snowfall melted, causing widespread flooding. As the waters rose, CERTs across the State stepped up to assist their communities. The program has been a great tool for the State of North Dakota, said Sarah Werner, the State CERT Program Manager. Having trained and ready volunteers when disaster strikes is invaluable.
Bismarck was one of the first communities affected by the flooding. Centrally located CERTs from Bismarck, Burleigh County, and United Tribes Technical College were activated to assist with sandbagging along the Missouri River. An estimated 40 CERT volunteers worked more than 300 hours to fill bags and supervise sandbag central, located in the Bismarck Civic Center. Werner worked at the Bismarck sandbag site managing the volunteers and the registration process. Throughout the State tens of thousands of volunteers worked countless hours, including hundreds of CERT volunteers, she said.
CERT members assisted in coordinating the overall operations. Speaking to KXMB-TV, CERT Volunteer Coordinator Duane Pool expected the operation to use between 800,000 and 1 million sandbags. He acknowledged the outpouring of volunteers saying, I am amazed at the operation working as efficiently as it is with as many volunteers as we have. In 3 days sandbag central registered more than 4,000 volunteers.As the waters continued to rise, CERTs were activated to help in Fargo, the States largest city. Cass County, North Dakota and Clay County, Minnesota CERT volunteers helped sandbag, check in volunteers, and answer calls at the citys call center. A group of CERT members were also put in charge of one of the citys volunteer check-in sites. Elsewhere in the State, CERT volunteers in rural Dickey County identified and documented downed power lines, managed sandbagging operations, staffed an emergency shelter, documented emergency response operations, and identified needs.
The CERT response was great, said Werner. Our volunteers continue to prove that they will be there when the State needs them. This was not North Dakota CERTs first disaster deployment and it will not be its last. Each time they are deployed, CERT volunteers show the value of their training.
For more information, please contact Sarah Werner at sarah@ndlc.org.