The Iberia Parish CERT Program has joined forces with Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser’s Office to ramp up volunteers who can help respond locally to disasters. 

Local residents who are interested in becoming part of the program will have a chance to participate in the second part of a hands-on disaster response training this Saturday at Willow Wood Park, where Nungesser is slated to speak. 

“Through federal grant dollars that have been tapped by Lt. Governor Nungesser’s office, they have helped provide marketing, trainers, and training expenses at no cost to the Iberia Parish CERT Program. It’s just a cool partnership, his office is tasked with promoting volunteerism, and that is exactly what we are doing together.” CERT leader Mike Wattigny said in a prepared statement.

CERT, a volunteer program which was originally developed by the Federal Emergency Management Program, was created to assist first responders by training citizens to help in the event of a disaster. 

The Iberia Parish team has been particularly active in the past few years, working in coordination with the Iberia Parish Government in managing evacuations and shelter operations for flash floods and tropical storms.

The two-day long training was broken into sessions, with the first session being held on October 16 . However, those interested can still register for the second session this weekend and complete the first module online. 

Each session focuses on self and family preparedness and then focused on responding to events in a CERT Member capacity. The newly recruited volunteers received an orientation into Emergency Management, medical triage, damage assessment, firefighting,

evacuations, shelter operations, disaster logistics, light search and rescue and other lifesaving actions.

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.

“We want to build our program into a model for other communities around the state. Doing so will result in Iberia Parish having the ability to protect and care for their people beyond typical responses. We are building a true community response by training citizens to be able to work hand in hand with government and municipality organizations,” Wattigny said. 

The program’s success has been recognized around the state and is helped by the dedication of its volunteers and the support of the Iberia Parish Government.

If you are interested in registering for the second session, and the subsequent session to follow, you can do so by calling Zack Mitchell at256-3672 or visiting the Iberia Parish CERT Facebook page.