Our Friends in the Cays Are Preparing, Will the Rest of Us Follow Their Lead?

This was sent to eCoronado.com from Barbara Denny: Kudos to the Cays for taking the lead in preparing for an inevitable disaster, natural or man-made. Worse than the devastating wildfires, experts say that all of us who live in San Diego County are long overdue for The Big One. As our wise Eagle columnist, J. F. Kelly, Jr., wrote recently: “Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.” That is exactly what we all should do right now, just as our friends in the Cays are doing. There were two successful events that impressed me greatly and provided invaluable training. On January 24th, along with several dozen others, I participated in the Red Cross Shelter Training Seminar at the the CCHOA. This seminar was organized by Dr. Irv Kliger, who is head of the Medical Sub-Committee of the Cays Disaster Preparedness Sub-Committee, which is led by Jim Besikof. Knowledgeable and experienced Red Cross volunteers taught us the nuts and bolts of setting up and operating a proper shelter for ourselves, our families, our neighbors and our pets in the event that we are displaced from our homes by an inevitable disaster. After the morning seminar, we arranged ourselves into small groups and worked through a mock disaster scene during the afternoon. On November 8, 2008 I participated in the Disaster Drill organized and run by community leaders including Victoria Elliott, CERT Chairperson/CERO Board member and Fred Brown, CERO President/CERT member. As a CERO (Coronado Emergency Radio Operators) member and CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) trainee at the time, I assisted drill Incident Commander (IC) Ed Hadfield who led dozens of CERO and CERT members in acting out the proper responses to a mock disaster in Antigua Village. This mock disaster fact pattern was prepared for us by our drill IC Ed Hadfield, whom you know as our accomplished Coronado Fire Division Chief and Fire Marshall. I urge you all to (a) sign up for CERT classes by calling 619-522-7374 and (b) become an amateur radio operator through the upcoming local classes which are in the organization stage (more information to follow). Help us make Coronado a success story after The Big One hits. With proper preparation, we will be able to save ourselves, our families, our neighbors and our pets when the inevitable disaster strikes. I’m hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. Yours, Barbara Denny Member of CERO & CERT