Local C.E.R.T. and Hurricane Gustav

Christian County EMA and our contacts at the Red Cross and Dept Homeland Security have contacted me and asked if I would pass the word to you so here’s the latest.

With TS Gustav heading toward the gulf states and looking like it will become a major Hurricane, Evacuation plans are being put into effect. Part of that plan includes the State of Missouri and specifically South Western MO.

The Springfield area including Christian co, may receive between 1000 and 5000 evacuees from the New Orleans area. They may start moving as soon as Saturday evening or Sunday. FEMA told us that we’ll have 12 hours notice to get ready. Most likely, if they come they will start showing up late Sunday and Monday.

CERT members, and those who’ve not yet been through the training, have expressed a desire to help in times of emergencies and I’d say this qualifies.

Because so many Red Cross people have been deployed to the Gulf, Our role as CERT members will be to assist in Shelter Operations and Logistics in this area.

What does this mean? If and or when these shelters are opened, they need to be manned 24 hrs a day. We need many of you to volunteer, if deployed, for some of these shifts.

We’ll know details later, this is a call to prepare for possible deployment in our area.

Other tasks that will need to be covered will be, helping in the Red Cross ware house in Springfield, Distribution and transportation of food, water, cots and other necessities to shelters etc. P/Us & Trailers

Please email me if you can help us, if we’re activated, to cover some of these needs. It will be part time because you’re still volunteers but we’ll need you if all these folks show up here. Please help me keep track of your hours if we’re Deployed. This helps the county out in a big way when all the paper work is being done through FEMA later.

I especially need Shelter Ops trained folks to let me know what they can do.

Thanks ahead of time for stepping up, Looking forward to hearing from you.

Ed Hultgren
Christian County CERT Coordinator

Click HERE to contact Ed.