Eureka Police Department
Emergency Management

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

72 Hour Family Emergency Kit

NOAA Weather Radio

Tornadoes

Earthquakes

Safe Drinking Water

Amateur (Ham) Radio

Links for Fun and Learning

COMMUNITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM (CERT)

What is CERT?

Local government prepares for everyday emergencies. However, during a disaster, the number and scope of incidents can overwhelm conventional emergency services. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program is an all-risk, all-hazard training. This valuable course is designed to help you protect yourself, your family, your neighbors and your neighborhood in an emergency situation.

CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where citizens may initially be on their own and their actions can make a difference. While people will respond to others in need without the training, one goal of the CERT program is to help them do so effectively and efficiently without placing themselves in unnecessary danger. In the CERT training, citizens learn to:

- Manage utilities and put out small fires.
- Treat the three medical killers by opening airways, controlling bleeding, and treating for shock.
- Provide basic medical aid.
- Search for and rescue victims safely.
- Organize themselves and spontaneous volunteers to be effective.
- Collect disaster intelligence to support first responder efforts.

Why do the CERT training?

Well, it's like paying for car insurance. You might never need either; you'd hope not to. But if the occasion arises, having the CERT training, just like having car insurance, means you're as ready as you can be to help yourself, your family and your neighborhood.

How do I join?

CERT members receive 24 hours (one night a week for eight weeks) of initial training. The 8-week course is followed by full-day, annual refresher drills.

CERT is provided free of charge to anyone 18 years of age or older.

Generally, classes are taught Monday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. or you can organize a class for your neighborhood, business or community group. A minimum of 12 people is needed. Call the Eureka Office of Emergency Management at 636-938-6600 to schedule your class.

The Eureka EMA CERT Training only conducts non-discriminatory classes. Non-discrimination includes race, religion, gender and group affiliations.

How did CERT start?

The idea to train volunteers from the community to assist emergency service personnel during large natural disasters began. In February of 1985, a group of Los Angeles City officials went to Japan to study its extensive earthquake preparedness plans. The group encountered an extremely homogenous society that had taken extensive steps to train entire neighborhoods in one aspect of alleviating the potential devastation that would follow a major earthquake. These single-function neighborhood teams were trained in either fire suppression, light search and rescue operations, first aid, or evacuation.

In September of 1985, a Los Angeles City investigation team was sent to Mexico City following an earthquake there that registered a magnitude 8.1 on the Richter scale and killed more than 10,000 people and injured more than 30,000. Mexico City had no training program for citizens prior to the disaster. However, large groups of volunteers organized themselves and performed light search and rescue operations. Volunteers are credited with more than 800 successful rescues; unfortunately, more than 100 of these untrained volunteers died during the 15-day rescue operation.

The lessons learned in Mexico City strongly indicated that a plan to train volunteers to help themselves and others, and become an adjunct to government response, was needed as an essential part of overall preparedness, survival, and recovery.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) decided to make the concept and program available to communities nationwide. The Emergency Management Institute (EMI), in cooperation with the LAFD, expanded the CERT materials to make them applicable to all hazards.

In January 2002, CERT became part of the Citizen Corps, a unifying structure to link a variety of related volunteer activities to expand a community's resources for crime prevention and emergency response.

As of January 2004, 50 states, three territories and six foreign countries are using the CERT training.

For more information about the CERT Program, contact Eureka Police Chief Michael A. Wiegand at 938-6600 or Deputy Fire Chief Randy Gabel, Eureka Fire Protection District at 938-5505. Click the following link for Eureka training schedules and FEMA information:  Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

NEXT CERT CLASSES:

To be announced.

To register call the Eureka Police Department at 636-938-6600.

Emergency Preparedness is everyone's job. Not just government agencies but all sectors of society - service providers, businesses, civic and volunteer groups, industry associations and neighborhood associations, as well as every individual citizen should plan ahead for disaster.

During the first few hours or days following a disaster, essential services may not be available.

People must be ready to act on their own!!!

Tornadoes

Tornadoes are the primary natural disaster threat to the citizens of Eureka and St. Louis County.

TORNADO! The very word strikes fear in many people. While a tornado is perhaps nature's most destructive storm, deaths and injuries can be prevented. By following Tornado Safety Rules, lives can be saved and injuries prevented. Warning the public of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes is the National Weather Service's (NWS) most important job. To help the public prepare for tornado situations, the NWS has adopted a WATCH and WARNING program.
 
TORNADO WATCH: This means that conditions are favorable for tornado development. This is the time to prepare. You should keep alert by listening to NOAA Weather Radio, or the commercial media for the latest weather information.

TORNADO WARNING: This means a tornado has been sighted or indicated by radar. People in the path of the storm should take immediate life saving action.

IN SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS, FACTORIES, SHOPPING CENTERS AND OTHER PUBLIC PLACES: Move to designated shelter areas. Interior hallways on the lowest level are usually best. Stay away from windows and out of auditoriums, gymnasiums, or other structures with large free span roofs.

IN VEHICLES: Do not try to outrun a tornado. Abandon your vehicle and hide in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head.

Fujita Tornado Scale (F-Scale)

Tornado Myths

• MYTH: Areas near rivers, lakes and mountains are safe from tornadoes.
• FACT: No place is safe from tornadoes. They can cross rivers, travel up mountains, and roar through valleys.

• MYTH: Low pressure with a tornado causes buildings to "explode" as the tornado passes overhead.
• FACT: Violent winds and debris slamming into buildings cause most damage.

• MYTH: Windows should be opened before a tornado to equalize pressure and minimize damage.
• FACT: Opening windows allows damaging winds to enter the structure. Leave the windows alone; instead immediately go to a safe place.

Tornado Safety in Your Home

• Avoid windows and chimneys
• Hide under furniture or stairwells
• Cover your head
• Seek lowest level
• Central portion of home Small room, closet or hallway
• Hide under furniture or stairwells
• Avoid exterior walls and windows

Tornado Awareness

Tornadoes are relatively short-lived local storms. They are composed of violently rotating columns of air that descend in the familiar funnel shape from thunderstorm cloud systems. The weather conditions that tend to generate Tornadoes are unseasonably warm and humid earth surface air, cold air at middle atmospheric levels, and strong upper-level jet stream winds. Tornadoes can occur anywhere in the United States during any month of the year. However, the Great Plains and Gulf Coast States experience the largest number of Tornadoes. The greatest frequency of Tornadoes occur in April, May and June.

The destructive path of a tornado averages about 250 yards in width and 15 miles in length. In extreme conditions, a tornado may travel more than 300 miles and leave a path of total destruction more than a mile wide. Tornadoes will travel up to 70 mph, with wind speeds approaching 400 mhp within the tornado's center. Tornadoes usually travel from a westerly direction to an easterly direction.

Signs and Warnings:
Tornadoes develop during severe thunderstorms. While not all thunderstorms create Tornadoes, the potential is there. During violent weather, keep tuned to a local television or radio station for tornado reports.
If you are outside and see a funnel-shaped cloud with obvious rotating motion, it may be a tornado. As a tornado develops, it will produce a loud roar that grows louder as the funnel cloud touches the ground. When nearby, a tornado has a loud sound comparable to the combined roars of several jet engines.

The National Severe Storms Forecast Center in Kansas City issues tornado watches. Local National Weather Service offices issue tornado warnings. Local officials may sound sirens in a tornado warning.

A tornado watch indicates that conditions are right for a tornado to develop and the sky should be watched.

A tornado warning indicates a tornado has been sighted or is spotted on radar. Warnings will give the location of the tornado and the area immediately affected by the warning.

Immediate Dangers:
The immediate threat from Tornadoes is danger to life and damage to property from violently whirling winds and debris hurled through the air by winds.

Long-Term Dangers:
Long-term risks include the possibility of building collapse, fallen trees and power lines, broken gas lines, broken sewer and water mains, and the outbreak of fires. Agricultural crops and industries may be damaged or destroyed.

Preparedness:
The best preparation for a tornado is to designate a safe place in or around your home as a tornado shelter. Tornado shelters are safest if they are underground. A storm cellar or basement away from windows offers the best protection.
If neither of these is available, plan to find shelter under heavy furniture or mattresses near an inside wall of your house on the ground floor. Get under solid furniture or cover yourselves with mattresses pulled off the bed.
• Plan tornado drills with your family so everyone knows what to do.
• Know the location of the designated shelter where you work or go to school.
• Plan to evacuate your manufactured (mobile) home.
• Make an inventory of your household furnishing and other possessions.
• Supplement the written inventory with photographs or video.
• Keep inventories and pictures in a safe deposit box or some other safe place away from the premises

Response:
If you have a storm cellar or shelter, go to it immediately with your family. If no shelter is available, go to your basement and get under a heavy work bench or stairs. Do not position yourself directly underneath heavy appliances on the floor above you.
If your home has no basement, stay in the center of the house away from the windows or in a small room on the ground floor that is away from outside walls. Take cover under solid furniture or mattresses. Protect your head.

In mobile homes or vehicles, leave and take shelter in a substantial structure. If there is no nearby shelter, lie flat in the nearest ditch or ravine with your hands shielding your head.

In any large building, such as an office or department store, avoid all large, poorly supported roofs.

Go to the basement or to an inner hallway on a lower floor.

• Do not drive. You are safer in a home or basement shelter than in a car.

• If you are driving in open country, drive at a right angle away from the tornado's path if you can safely do so.

• Do not try to outrun the storm. If you cannot avoid the tornado, get out of your car.

• Lie flat in the nearest depression, such as a ditch, culvert or ravine. Protect your head and stay low to the ground.

Recovery:
After a tornado passes, keep tuned to the local radio or TV station to get an all-clear signal before leaving your shelter. Sometimes more than one tornado will develop during a violent storm.
Be alert to fire hazards such as broken electric wires or damaged electrical equipment, gas or oil leaks, or smoldering piles of wet hay or feed. Report broken utility lines to appropriate authorities.
Have damage to your property assessed by your insurance company.

For more information about severe weather contact Police Chief Michael Wiegand/Director of Emergency Management for City of Eureka, Missouri 636-938-6600.

An earthquake could be described as an 'assault-with-no-warning'. Because an earthquake is unpredictable, here are some survival tips for citizens.

PREPARE BEFORE, DURING & AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE

The New Madrid Seismic Zone caused the three largest earthquakes in the continental United States in 811-12. Every year, Southeast Missouri experiences over 200 measured events - some of which are large enough to be felt by local residents. An earthquake can be described as an "assault-with-no warning." Because a New Madrid Earthquake is unpredictable, it is important for citizens to take steps to educate and protect themselves from an earthquake.

Before:

Identify safe spots and danger zones in each room.

Consider buying earthquake insurance.

Buy a 20-gallon garbage can to store drinking water, canned food, flashlights, first aid supplies, a battery operated radio, seasonal clothing and blankets. It may also become your "go kit" if you need to leave your home.
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Know where and how to shut off all utilities.

Be sure your house is firmly anchored to its foundation.

Anchor overhead lighting fixtures.

Store bottled foods, glass, china and other breakable items on low shelves or in cabinets that can fasten shut.

Place large or heavy objects on lower shelves.

Fasten bookshelves to walls.

Brace high and top heavy objects.

Repair defective electrical wiring, leaky gas and inflexible utility connections.

Securely fasten water heaters and gas appliances to wall studs.

Keep some cash on hand, banks may not be open and businesses may not be able to immediately accept credit cards for purchases.

Establish a savings account for post catastrophic expenses not covered by earthquake insurance.

During:

If indoors, take cover under sturdy furniture or against an inside wall, hold on, "Drop, Cover and Hold." Stay away from the kitchen!

If outdoors, stay there. Move away from buildings, streetlights and utility wires.
.
In a high-rise building, take cover under sturdy furniture away from windows and outside walls.

Stay in the building on the same floor. An evacuation may not be necessary .Wait for instructions from safety personnel. Do not use elevators.
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In a vehicle, stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses or utility wires.

After:

Check for injuries to yourself and those around you.

Be prepared for aftershocks.

Wear sturdy shoes in areas covered with fallen debris and broken glass.

If the electricity is out, use flashlights or battery operated lanterns.

Check the main utility panel.  If you smell gas or hear a hissing sound, open a window and leave the building.

Shut off the main gas valve outside the building.

If water pipes are damaged, shut off the water supply at the main valve.

Check your home, your chimney for structural damage and your appliances for damage.

Clean up spilled medicines, bleaches, gasoline and other flammable liquids.

Do not flush toilets until you know the sewage lines are intact.

Open cabinets cautiously. Beware of objects that can falloff shelves.

Use the phone only to report a life-threatening emergency.

Listen to the news reports for the latest emergency information.

Stay off the streets, do not go sightseeing.

BEST PRACTICES

FEMA Recommends Drop, Cover and Hold On:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reiterates its long-standing advice for staying as safe as possible during an earthquake. It’s easy to remember and even easier to do: DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; HOLD ON until the shaking stops.

Following the spread of an Internet/Email rumor that contradicts the advice given by FEMA, the American Red Cross, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a number of other agencies about the proper actions to take during an earthquake, FEMA has been asked for clarification on its policy. We continue to advocate DROP, COVER and HOLD ON as the safest action when the earth begins to shake.

Research has shown that most injuries in U.S. earthquakes occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave. Quickly seeking a place of safety, such as under a sturdy table or desk, and moving as short a distance as possible to that place of safety, is recommended based on research.

In the 2003 San Simeon, California, earthquake, two people were crushed by falling debris when they ran from the building. Studies of the 1979 El Centro, 1987 Whittier, 1989 Loma Prieta, and 1994 Northridge earthquakes, as well as mounting evidence from earthquakes outside the United States, confirm this pattern of injuries. DROP, COVER, and HOLD ON reduces the likelihood of serious injury from falling objects.

Other recommendations, which are contrary to the DROP, COVER and HOLD ON advice, have been made by individuals with limited expertise and questionable credibility. Practice DROP, COVER and HOLD ON at school, in the office, and other buildings so that when the earth shakes, you’ll be ready.

EDUCATE THE KIDS!

Educate your children about earthquake safety too. Teach your children what to do if an earthquake occurs. Teach your children about the safest places in your home or at school. To take an American Red Cross CPR or First Aid class, call Eureka Fire Protection District at 636-938-5505.  For classes being offered by the Eureka Emergency Management Agency related to disaster preparedness, click here for class information:  (Class Information). What you learn now might save your life or the lives of family members or neighbors. Contact Chief Mike Wiegand at 636-938-6600 or by emailiing at  mwiegand@eureka.mo.us.

SAFE DRINKING WATER

If necessary, drinking water may be disinfected by ONE of the following methods:

1.  Boil water for three minutes in a clean container.  Water must be at a rolling or vigorous boil for the three minutes.

2.  Mix 1/2 teaspoon of liquid, unscented chlorine laundry bleach, such as Clorox or Purex, with 2-1/2 gallons of water.  Let stand for at least 30 minutes before drinking.

3.  Add 2 drops of tincture of iodine to 1 quart water.  After mixing thoroughly, allow to stand for at least 30 minutes before drinking.

Use boiled or disinfected water to brush teeth.

What is Ham Radio?
A housewife in North Carolina makes friends over the radio with another ham in Lithuania. An Ohio teenager uses his computer to upload a digital chess move to an orbiting space satellite, where it's retrieved by a fellow chess enthusiast in Japan. An aircraft engineer in Florida participating in a "DX contest" swaps his call sign and talks to hams in 100 different countries during a single weekend. In California, volunteers save lives as part of their involvement in an emergency response. And from his room in Chicago, a ham's pocket-sized hand-held radio allows him to talk to friends in the Carolinas. This unique mix of fun, public service and convenience is the distinguishing characteristic of Amateur Radio. Although hams get involved for many reasons, they all have in common a basic knowledge of radio technology and operating principles, and pass an examination for the FCC license to operate on radio frequencies known as the "Amateur Bands." These bands are radio frequencies reserved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for use by hams at intervals from just above the AM broadcast band all the way up into extremely high microwave frequencies. Listen to this spot, "What Is Ham Radio?"

Who's the Typical Ham?
Amateur Radio operators come from all walks of life -- movie stars, missionaries, doctors, students, politicians, truck drivers and just plain folks. They are all ages, sexes, income levels and nationalities. They say Hello to the world in many languages and many ways. But whether they prefer Morse code on an old brass telegraph key, voice communication on a hand-held radio, or computerized messages transmitted via satellite, they all have an interest in what's happening in the world, and they use radio to reach out.

What's the Appeal of Ham Radio?
Some hams are attracted by the ability to communicate across the country, around the globe, or even with astronauts on space missions. Others may like to build and experiment with electronics. Computer hobbyists enjoy using Amateur Radio's digital communications opportunities. Those with a competitive streak enjoy "DX contests," where the object is to see how many hams in distant locations they can contact. Some like the convenience of a technology that gives them portable communication. Mostly we use it to open the door to new friendships over the air or through participation in one of more than 2000 Amateur Radio clubs throughout the country.

Why Do You Need a License?
Although the main purpose of Amateur Radio is fun, it is called the "Amateur Radio Service" because it also has a serious face. The FCC created this "Service" to fill the need for a pool of experts who could provide backup during emergencies. In addition, the FCC acknowledged the ability of the hobby to advance the communication and technical skills of radio, and to enhance international goodwill. This philosophy has paid off. Countless lives have been saved where skilled hobbyists act as emergency communicators to render aid, whether it's during an earthquake in Italy or a hurricane in the U.S.

Why Do They Call Themselves "Hams"?

That's the definition of the word given in G. M. Dodge's "The Telegraph Instructor" even before there was radio. The definition has never changed in wire telegraphy. The first wireless operators were landline telegraphers who left their offices to go to sea or to man the coastal stations. They brought with them their language and much of the tradition of their older profession. In those early days, every station occupied the same wavelength-or, more accurately perhaps, every station occupied the whole spectrum with its broad spark signal. Government stations, ships, coastal stations and the increasingly numerous amateur operators all competed for time and signal supremacy in each other's receivers. Many of the amateur stations were very powerful. Two amateurs, working each other across town, could effectively jam all the other operations in the area. Frustrated commercial operators would refer to the ham radio interference by calling them "hams." Amateurs, possibly unfamiliar with the real meaning of the term, picked it up and applied it to themselves in true "Yankee Doodle" fashion and wore it with pride. As the years advanced, the original meaning has completely disappeared.

Do I Have to Learn Morse Code?
Not any more! While many hams LIKE to use Morse code, it is not required.

What are some of the other ways radio hams communicate? What do they sound like?
There is a great variety of ways that Amateur Radio operators are able to communicate. Using voice is just one. Morse code is still widely used. Here is what "hello" sounds like in Morse code. Packet, Radio Teletype (often called Ritty) and PSK are three more. Even faster transmissions are being developed using methods which can send almost any form of digital data. Hams also use television to send pictures over the air.

Check out ARRL for information and resources relating to amateur radio emergency communications.

For more information about amateur radio in general, contact Police Chief Mike Wiegand at 636-938-6600 or by email at  mwiegand@eureka.mo.us.

NHTSA - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Partnership for a Drug-Free America

What is Ham Radio?

Ham Radio Online

Motor Vehicle and Drivers Licensing (Missouri)

National Weather Service - St. Louis

St. Louis County Skywarn

Earthquakes - Research/Informational Sites

Weather Together Quiz

Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.)

Missouri General Assembly

American Red Cross

Hazards

Chief Michael A. Wiegand
Eureka Police Department
120 City Hall Drive
Eureka, Missouri 63025
(636) 938-6600
FAX:  (636) 938-6602
e-mail:  mwiegand@eureka.mo.us