The Missing Piece of Preparedness: Neighbors

What Comes First?

If you ask someone what the first steps are to becoming better prepared, you'll likely hear answers like making a plan, building a kit, achieving two weeks (or more) of readiness, and being informed about risks. These are good; they are all bedrock activities for becoming better prepared.

Making an emergency plan involves discussing with your family where to meet if separated, how to communicate, and what tasks each person is responsible for, ensuring everyone knows how to react quickly when a disaster strikes.

Building a “Go-Kit” (or bug-out bag) contains essential items like medications, documents, and first-aid supplies needed for the first 72 hours if you must evacuate immediately.

Becoming “Two Weeks (or more) Ready” ensures you have enough food, water, and necessities stored at home to sustain your family for two weeks or more without outside assistance, which is critical after a major disaster.

Being informed about our area requires knowing the specific hazards (like earthquakes, floods, or severe weather) most likely to affect our neighborhood, along with registering for local emergency alerts.

The Missing Piece

These foundational principles are essential, and I train and write about them regularly. However, there is a crucial missing piece, something I learned years ago at a preparedness fair in The Dalles that inspired my work with CERT.

At the end of the day, Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton gave a presentation and was asked, given all the information shared that day, what single thing he would recommend for better preparedness. Without hesitation, he replied, “Get to know your neighbors, because when the big one hits, you’re not getting out of that alone.”

Talk to your neighbors, get to know them. But we also invite you to take the next step: join us at the next general CERT meeting on January 10th, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., at the Roth’s Event Center (behind the Roth’s on Wallace Rd here in West Salem). At this meeting, you will meet more of your neighbors and learn about CERT. Our main presentation will focus on creating an emergency plan, one of the foundational steps we discussed above. This meeting is open to everyone, not just CERT members!

New CERT Logo – Part II

Last month I announced the new City of Salem CERT logo, only to realize I mistakenly submitted the old one for printing! So we'll highlight the new design one more time. As a reminder, while the CERT logo is mandated by FEMA, programs can modify it to reflect local identity by adding the city name and updating the skyline. West Salem CERT member Graham took on this task and successfully updated our logo, which has now been officially accepted by Salem CERT.

Contact Information

If you have questions about this article, preparedness, or would like to inquire about joining CERT, please contact me, Mark Wardell, at PNMarkW2@gmail.com. I am also available to schedule presentations for your group, including HOAs, neighborhood groups, and communities of faith. You can also find more information about Salem CERT by visiting SalemOregonCERT.org.