“Within an hour of our initial call out, we had 34 members deployed in teams across the City.” said Whitney Laning, President of the Rowlett Citizen Corps Council (RCCC) who sponsors the CERT program.  Teams set up and monitored barricades on streets that were impassible due to high water.

Driving through high water can have unexpected and harmful results.  The National Weather Service (NWS) says, “Turn Around, Don’t Drown” when you encounter high water or barricades.  Ironically, this week is designated by the NWS as National Flood Safety Awareness Week.

Early Thursday morning, 10 members of the Rowlett CERT team responded to the City of Mesquite’s request to join in the search for a missing boy who was swept away by Tuesday’s flood waters. 

CERT is designed to train citizens to be self-sufficient for up to 72 hours after a major disaster or local emergency, and to provide assistance to their neighbors and community until additional resources are available.  Rowlett has embraced and expanded the CERT concept, and activated the program for local emergencies such as searching for lost persons, assisting with evacuations and traffic control, courtesy patrols and even fire watch during fireworks displays at City events.

Rowlett will teach a CERT Class on April 5^th and 12^th, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.  The course will be taught according to FEMA standards and graduates will have the opportunity to join Rowlett CERT or a group in their local community.  For registration or more information, see the RCCC website at rowlettcitizencorps.org, or call the CERT Hotline at 972-463-3906 and leave a message.  The class is free to Rowlett and Sachse residents, all others are charged a $15 administrative fee.

For more information on the RCCC, its programs, or how to be a part of it all, see their website or email info@rowlettcitizencorps.org.

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