The Iberia Parish Community Emergency Response Team picked up a dozen new volunteers Saturday, training them to serve as the first wave of local efforts in the wake of a storm or other disaster.

“Anything can happen, sometimes without notice,” said Mike Wattigny, one of the CERT leaders. “We are most familiar with hurricanes, but we can have tornadoes like St. Landry Parish did last night, a chemical plant explosion, a train derailment, winter storm, flash floods and the list goes on. We know these things can and will happen, so we are dedicated to being prepared and having our community trained.”

The CERT program was originally developed by the Federal Emergency Management Program to assist first responders in the event of a disaster. The goal is to train volunteers to work with their neighbors while waiting for first responders to arrive on scene after a storm or other catastrophe.

“We’re expanding our reach, targeting specific areas and being strategic in how we approach volunteers,” said Zach Mitchell, who presented much of the training Saturday. “We’ve reached out to mayors in Jeanerette, Loreauville, Delcambre and New Iberia first of all, allowing them to contact specific people. Then we follow up and do training in those areas. That way we have people we know are capable of handling the tasks, plus we can work them into the CERT team structure to come together to help.”

Having those individuals identified and trained in emergency response procedures comes in especially handy at a time when the community’s resources can be stretched. One of the primary duties for CERT volunteers, for instance, is to start up and operate shelters if needed while federal and state resources may still be days away.

“The Iberia Parish team has been particularly active in years past, working in coordination with the Iberia Parish Government in coordinating evacuations and shelter operations for flash floods and tropical storms alike,” Wattigny said.

The opening discussion touched on the fact that the Iberia Parish Community is always willing to help.

“In any event, the people of our community are very generous, and we see an outpouring of offers to help,” said Wattigny. “The challenge often is handling the disaster while managing those who show up and want to help their neighbors. That is why this program exists and that is why we are here today. We are encouraging you to first prepare your family and secondly, help us prepare to respond for our community.”

The day-long training started focusing first on self and family preparedness, then focused on responding to events. The newly recruited volunteers received an orientation and onboarding training into the CERT program and the ways CERT members can respond such as search and rescue, emergency logistics, sheltering and other life saving actions.

Trainers included Mitchell, Cheryl Cheramie, Iberia Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security Executive Director Prescott Marshall, and representatives from Iberia Medical Center and the Iberia Parish Fire District #1.

The CERT program is continuing to seek out volunteers interested in helping the community in times of need. The Iberia Parish program is one of only a handful of established and prepared chapters in the state. For more information on the CERT Program, please call (337) 256-3672.