CERT in Action! Stories

Stories of how CERTs have participated in emergency response and other public safety activities.

CERT in Action! is about sharing the stories of local CERT Programs whose Teams have responded in emergencies, assisted in public safety efforts, or participated in other community service projects. Beyond training, drills and exercises, "CERT in Action!" captures how Teams make a difference in their community. The shared stories will enable all CERT Programs to benefit from the experiences of individual programs. Additional stories will be added to the site regularly. If you have a story about your "CERT in Action!" please let us know by contacting us at cert@dhs.gov.

When you submit your story, please be sure to include the following information in your email:

• Contact name

• Email address

• Phone number

• City, State

• Event/activity

• Date(s)

• 2 - 4 paragraphs on how the CERT(s) were used, types of activities they performed, number of team members activated, any challenges and/or successes experienced during the activation

If you have a picture to submit, please list the people in the picture and the activity they are performing. Also, prior to posting your story online we will reach out to the contact person to confirm the facts. We look forward to your stories, and thank you in advance for sharing with the CERT community.

June 2011

• Bay, TX CERT Partners with Red Cross, Community, to Respond to Apartment Fire

• Greenbelt, MD CERT Joins Eastern Shore Search-and-Rescue Mission

• St. Charles Co., MO Teen CERT Member Saves Elderly Woman from Fire

• Astoria, Oregon CERT Activated to Prepare for Tsunami

• Monterey, California CERT Clears Beaches During Tsunami Threat

• New Jersey CERTs Help Area Cope with Flooding

• Southern Marin CERT Joins in Search-and-Rescue Effort

September 2010

• Escambia County, Fla. CERT Tackles Beach Cleanup

• Cameron, Mo. CERT Aids in Search and Rescue of Missing Woman

• Belmont, Mass. CERT Helps Quench Community’s Thirst

• Frankfort/Franklin County, Ky. CERT Gets Muddy Assignment

February 2010

• Yamhill County, Ore., CERT Members Extinguish Fire at County Fair

• Navarre, Fla., CERT Assists in Search and Rescue

• Spartanburg, S.C., CERT Provides Support During Brush Fire

September 2009

• North Dakota CERTs Provide Assistance During Flood

• Hidden Village, Utah CERT Responds to Canyon Road Landslide

• CERT Member Offers Help in New Britain, Conn.

• New Britain, Conn. CERT Responds to Fire and Storm Incidents

June 2009

• Douglas County, GA, CERT Team Assists in First Mission

• MD CERT Member Assists in Hit and Run

• Elverado, IL, CERT Team Assists in Command Center

May 2009

• Naperville, IL CERT Responds to Flooding

• Parma, OH CERT Clears Snow From Hydrants

• West Boylston, MA CERT Member Assists Car Crash Victim

• Christian County, MO CERT Helps Clean Debris Following Ice Storm

March 2009

• Montgomery County, MD CERT Inauguration Response

• Lee County, FL CERT Goes Above and Beyond

• DeBary, FL Volunteers Help Residents Weather Fay

• Reno County, KS CERT Travels to Help Out

• Houston CERT Members Put Training to Good Use

• Morgan County, IN CERT Assists in Flood Response

• Mammoth Lakes, CA CERT Assists in Fire Rescue

December 2008

• Crane Collapses in New York City
  CERT members staffed the human services reception center immediately following the incident.

• Wahpeton, ND CERTs Respond to Industrial Fire
  CERT volunteers help with shelter and support operations, provide security at traffic intersections and helped evacuees at the shelter until they were allowed to return home.

September 2008

• Brooktrails, CA Wildfire Activation
  CERT members contribute to response activites in wildfire.

• CERT Activation for Power Outage in Miami, FL - CERT to the Rescue
  CERT provides traffic management assistance during power outage.

• CERT Helps in Branson, MO Flash Floods
  CERT supports voluntary evacuation call.

• CERTs Support Olympic Trials in Eugene, OR
  CERT volunteers helped with bag checking, wanding, crowd control, and traffic control.