In the coming year, a plan needs to be developed to increase the adoption of seismic design and construction procedures, especially in the smaller cities and rural areas in Southeast Missouri. Also a preliminary plan to encourage voluntary retrofit, particularly for critical facilities, should be developed. It is an effective method of organizing volunteers within a community, neighborhood, or business who have had basic training in fire safety, light rescue, disaster medical operations, hazard inspection and other services. These individuals will act independently to aid their neighbors or coworkers in the event of a disaster. Because of the importance of this program, a database should be developed containing information on teams to guide recertification training, to permit team members to join other CERT's should they change residences, and to provide SEMA with points of contact during disasters.
CERTs are of value for all disasters.
There may be a need for an additional trainer at SEMA to train and track the CERT training. In addition, MoDOT and the Division of Motor Carrier and Railroad Safety are currently reviewing the railroad and aviation assets within the state. Volunteers who have received this training could be used for the initial assessment of the identified habitable buildings. Funding from FEMA is being sought for this training. The need for increased volunteer participation is warranted.