Daily Press (Newport News, VA) - Other Voices: Citizen Corps' First Test Was a Success

Daily Press (Newport News, VA)

October 14, 2003 Tuesday FINAL EDITION

HEADLINE: OTHER VOICES: CITIZEN CORPS' FIRST TEST WAS A SUCCESS

BYLINE: MARK WARNER Guest Columnist

BODY:
Volunteers

Three weeks after Hurricane Isabel left a trail of destruction across a wide stretch of the commonwealth, one of the unheralded success stories in our efforts to deal with this storm is Citizen Corps, an exciting new program launched one year ago to help communities prepare for natural disasters, civil emergencies and acts of terrorism.

Virginia's Citizen Corps is comprised completely of volunteers. Aside from a willingness to serve others, the one thing these volunteers have in common is something called Community Emergency Response Team training, which prepares them to render immediate assistance during civil emergencies, help organize volunteers at disaster sites, and give essential support to professional first responders.

We launched Citizen Corps last year on the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. This program is a key component of the simultaneously launched Virginia Corps, which I established to capture the renewed spirit of volunteerism and community preparedness that swept across Virginia and the nation after those attacks.

During the past year, Citizen Corps has been supported by $470,846 in federal funding and Virginia now boasts 33 Citizen Corps councils across the commonwealth. Our Citizen Corps program is widely regarded as one of the most successful anywhere in the country.

Hundreds of Citizen Corps volunteers kicked into action even before Hurricane Isabel hit. Their work continued throughout the storm and long after it moved on. These outstanding men and women of all ages were putting their CERT training into action.

In Colonial Heights, CERT volunteers performed evacuations until the storm became too dangerous to continue, at which time they provided support for emergency personnel in the city's emergency operation center. After the storm, they conducted damage assessments of every city residence.

CERT members in Charlottesville were a vital communication link, working 12-hour shifts in the local emergency operation center, answering concerned citizens' questions.

In King William County, newly graduated CERT members staffed a local shelter housing 119 residents. In the Tidewater area, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Hampton and Sussex CERT members reassured neighbors, removed fallen trees, directed traffic, assessed damage, treated minor wounds and delivered ice and food. A CERT volunteer in James City County was a one-man powerhouse, delivering ice and water to residents for two days straight and keeping his neighborhood's roads open. In nearby Williamsburg, Citizen Corps members sprang into action in 18 neighborhoods, reporting power outages, delivering meals and clearing the roadways of trees.

In Arlington County, home of Virginia's first Citizen Corps council, more than 90 CERT volunteers unloaded and distributed thousands of pounds of ice to county residents. The volunteers also conducted damage assessments, checked on neighbors and marked downed power lines.

Our local Citizen Corps programs are still in their infancy. But the performance of our Citizen Corps volunteers during Hurricane Isabel underscored the enormous value of the approach we have taken. It is an approach that recognizes the value of emergency preparedness training, not only for the kind of horrific attacks we witnessed on Sept. 11, but also for the hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters that occurr in Virginia.

Throughout the state, Citizen Corps volunteers proved their worth when Isabel left communication lines down, roads impassable and homes damaged, and when CERT volunteers used newly acquired skills to help their neighbors, organize their neighborhoods and free first responders for other activities.

The dedication and commitment shown by the new CERT volunteers during this disastrous time is a great example of how citizens can work together to make their neighborhoods and Virginia stronger, safer and more united. These stories illustrate the enormous promise of this fledgling volunteer program.

Before the memory of Isabel fades completely from the public's mind, I urge all Virginians to consider taking an active role in these outstanding volunteer efforts.

To become part of the work of Virginia Corps and our Citizen Corps programs, visit www.virginiacorps.org or call (866) 239-4868.

Warner is the governor of Virginia.