GHS/OCD Host Community Emergency Response Team Rodeo

The Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense (GHS/OCD) will host a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Rodeo on Saturday, May 4, 2019 at 9 a.m. at the GHS/OCD facility, Agana Heights.

A recurring theme among Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) preparedeness and CERT is “You are the help until help arrives.” For Guam, this year’s CERT Rodeo theme is “Yoda Help Until Help Arrives,” with an ode to the date, May 4th and its connection with Star Wars.

Each year, communities across the nation fall victim to some disaster. Emergency events take the form of severe storms, typhoons, earthquakes, floods or man-made disasters. The damage caused by disasters affect all elements of society and government. Catastrophic events severely restrict and often overwhelm emergency response resources, communications, transportation and utilities. In addition, they leave many individuals and neighborhoods cut off from outside support. CERT helps increase capacity to local communities by increasing the number of people who can assist during and after a disaster.

GHS/OCD host CERT and Teen CERT training opportunities throughout the year for various groups and high school students. CERT trainings provide lessons on how to help communities mitigate disasters during the first minutes and up to 72 hours following a disaster when damaged roads, disrupted communications, high call volume, etc., may restrict access by local police, fire and emergency medical services. The purpose of CERT training is to provide citizens with the basic skills that they will need to handle their own needs and then to respond to their communities’ needs in the aftermath of a disaster.

CERT groups from AmeriCorps Sanctuary, AmeriCorps Univerity of Guam, Guahan Charter Academy, Simon Sanchez High School, and St. Paul Christian Academy will compete in the CERT Rodeo. The Rodeo will be a competition in which participants will go through a timed course of activities including light fire suppression, light victim extraction and disaster medical operations with obstacles in between for a chance to win a travelling trophy.

“The CERT program and trainings have been an integral part of Guam’s emergency preparedness system,” stated Charles Esteves, Office of Civil Defense Administrator. “We look to CERT trained people to assist emergency responders during disaster situations. After training, they become qualified volunteers prepared to safely address hazards specific to the community.”

For more information, contact Public Information Officer Jenna Blas at (671) 489-2540 or via email at jenna.g.blas@ghs.guam.gov.

X Flooding is a temporary overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry. Flooding may happen with only a few inches of water, or it may cover a house to the rooftop. There are many possible causes of floods including heavy rain, coastal storms and storm surge, waterway overflow from being blocked with debris, or overflow of levees, dams, or waste water systems. Flooding can occur slowly over many days or happen very quickly with little or no warning, called flash floods.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/floods

Wildfire

Regularly clean the roof and gutters.
Maintain an area approximately 30’ away from you home that is free of anything that will burn, such as wood piles, dried leaves, newspapers and other brush.
Connect garden hoses long enough to reach any area of the home and fill garbage cans, tubs, or other large containers with water.
Review your homeowner's insurance policy and also prepare/update a list of your home's contents.

Fire Weather

Turn on your TV/radio. You’ll get the latest weather updates and emergency instructions.
Know where to go. If you are ordered to evacuate, know the route to take and have plan of where you will go. Check-in with your friends and family.
Keep your car fueled, in good condition, and stocked with emergency supplies and a change of clothes.

Drought

Conserve water

Take shorter showers.

Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.
Run the washer less frequently and only when you have a full load.
Water your lawn less frequently and do so when the temperature is cooler in the early morning or late evening.
When you run the tap to heat or cool water, keep a pitcher to store the water and use it to water plants.
Avoid washing your car.

Practice fire prevention

Don't set off fireworks when conditions are dry.
Deposit cigarette butts in the proper receptacle to avoid starting a
Pour water over camp fires and backyard fire pits to ensure they are completely out before leaving them unattended.

Follow directions from local officials. If there are restrictions on water usage, be sure to heed them.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/wildfires and https://www.ready.gov/drought

X
Typhoons/Hurricanes are massive storm systems that form over the water and move toward land. Threats from typhoons/hurricanes include high winds, heavy rainfall, storm surge, coastal and inland flooding, and rip currents.

“Hurricanes” form in the Atlantic Northeast Pacific region and “Typhoons” form in the Northwest Pacific Region. These large storms are call cyclones in other parts of the world.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes.