Be safe, helpful during disasters

To the editor: In light of the recent flooding here in Jay County, I am not surprised by the number of people that thought playing in the water was cool.
As a trained volunteer for Community Emergency Response Team, Amateur Radio Operator (in training for emergency communications), SkyWarn Weather Spotter and a former medic in the U.S. Army, I am very aware of the dangers that go with flooding.
Floodwaters can contain not only oil and other chemicals from vehicles and yards but raw waste from backed up wastewater plants.
These items can cause numerous health issues to people who decide to swim or play, not to mention the danger of currents that could even catch the best swimmer by surprise, resulting in drowning.
I also saw some people with lifted 4xs4s loading their trucks with people and driving at unsafe speeds through the flooded streets.
The larger tires on these vehicles mean a larger surface area for hydroplaning to occur. This could increase the chance for rollovers and, well, you get the picture.
These folks could have better used their time volunteering with evacuation or sandbag delivery operations.
I have also heard the complaint: Why wasn’t there more preparation for something like this by our local officials? I have this to say on that note. At times of disasters, be they natural or man-made, emergency services are stressed by the problems at hand. This is why I have been working to establish an active Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Emergency Communications Team as well as an active SkyWarn unit within Jay County.
I have met resistance from some local officials as well as citizens in the past, saying we do not need the old Civil Defense group back. CERT is way more than Civil Defense ever thought of being. But that has changed. The basic training is mandatory and is regulated by FEMA and Citizen Corps. SkyWarn training is handled by the National Weather Service and has to be updated every two years.
This being said, CERT members cannot be part of the emergency services agencies (police, fire, EMS). These departments will need all their members, reducing the effectiveness of CERT.
Besides the basic training, there are also online training modules to better the response capabilities of the CERT members. Emergency Communications brings back the use of amateur radio (HAM). There is also a lot of training that most would never think of that ties both teams together.
If anyone has questions on any of the things I have discussed in this letter, please feel free to contact me.
Please, folks, think before you act. To quote the NWS, “Turn around, don’t drown.”
Gary L. Wesley Jr.
Dunkirk