Thank you to our active volunteers. We completed a Basic Training course and a Stop The Bleed class in the last month. It is great to see the activity and involvement. Our volunteers are building community that will add resilience in our area. Thank you.

Do you know a “Bob”? He is THAT guy who will be scrambling to buy water and hurricane supplies when a storm is only 3 days away. He may be panicking while he visits 3 or 4 stores to get what he needs in a hurry. Don’t be a “Bob”. Prepare before the storm.

Now is a great time to know things like your home's hurricane risk and how to recognize the warnings and alerts. Do you live in a flood zone? What is your evacuation plan? Does your family have an emergency plan? Suggest your neighbors attend our Hurricane Preparedness session on May 10 to learn more. You might also benefit from a hurricane prep refresher and can help spread the word about LWR CERT membership while you are there.

Manatee County Emergency Management is sponsoring a Hurricane Expo on May 17 at the Bradenton Area Convention Center. Details are below.

President, LWR CERT

Click the link below to register up to 4 people or ask your neighbors to visit www.lwrcert.org/events for more info to register on their own.

More than 50 members attended the April Member Meeting, which featured a special Stop The Bleed presentation by Cindy Filice, HCA Florida Blake Hospital Education Coordinator Trauma Services, and Auxiliary Captain Joe Filice with the Florida Highway Patrol.

All who attended the Stop The Bleed presentation at Town Hall were awarded certificates from the American College of Surgeons. Click here to download a Stop The Bleed poster.

We thank Cindy and Joe for sharing their decades of experience and Stop The Bleed knowledge with our members. We also thank Bruce and Dana Bedford for their donations to our door prizes.

Congratulations to the LWR CERT Graduating Class of April 9, 2022. Pictured are Jeff Tryon (left), Lonnie Chidester, Lisa Chidester, Jim Hermiston, Ray Arroyo, Arcinee Hermiston, Bruce Costella, Pam Kean, Chris Sloane, Elaine Cockfield, Gary Cockfield, Jill Perlin, Jordan Perlin, Lt Chad Gamble (Instructor), Gary Miller, Sudi Hirmanpour, Mike Rodgers, Fred Bohlander, FF Nick, Anne Bohlander, Cindy Peirce, Elana Markow, and Pam Biladeau.

Thanks to the Training Committee led by Nigel Pilling, LWR CERT graduated 14 new members into our Phase 1 teams, an additional 6 new CERT members in our neighboring areas, and another 5 who partially completed and plan to complete their training in June.

Thank you Mary Benfer, Steve Bloom, Pat Knowles, Jan Kuhn, Jim Emanuelson, Connie Farmer, Rich Raymond, Kalena Ostrosky, Chuck Kennedy, Sebastian Ilka, Linda Gooen, David Cashbaugh, Mike Modisett, Bud Goetzinger, Eddie Russell, Tim Sherer, Bruce Bedford, Karen Emanuelson, Susan Strahs, Ken Strahs, Mollie Saia, Marty Saia, and Frank Giannone for your contributions to this successful training.

LWR CERT also appreciates our community partners including Chief Steve Litschauer, East Manatee Fire Rescue, and Lakewood Ranch Town Hall. Thanks to Pamela Modisett of Michael Saunders & Company for her generous donation of snacks and treats on Days 2 and 4.

In addition we thank the Neighborhood Engagement team of Sharon Defferding and Valerie Voutsas, led by Mike Defferding, who worked tirelessly to ensure the course roster was filled with qualified candidates.

It definitely takes a village to conduct a successful Basic Training!

Encourage your neighbors to visit www.lwrcert.org/join for details. Be sure to ask them to include your name as their referral.

Shop at Smile.Amazon.com, and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to LWR CERT, at no cost to you.

New to Amazon Smile? Just click the graphic on the left and follow the prompts.

Already a Smile Amazon user and want to change your charity of choice to LWR CERT? Sign in to smile.amazon.com on your desktop. On the left side of the page, click the down arrow next to “Supporting”, then select “Change” next to the charity name. Search for and select “Lakewood Ranch Community Emergency Response Team Inc.”

Should you evacuate if a hurricane comes this year? How do you know if your home is strong enough to shelter in during a hurricane? Click the graphic above or visit www.floridadisaster.org/Know for immediate answers.

OR attend the free LWR CERT May 10 Hurricane Prep for LWR Residents public education event at Town Hall. We'll have volunteers available to answer your questions before and after the presentation. Space is limited and advance registration is required. Visit www.lwrcert.org/events to reserve your spot today!

Click here to learn how you can earn points toward Active Responder awards or visit the Member Section of our website, www.lwrcert.org.

Tier 2

Ray Arroyo

Fred Bohlander

Ann Bohlander

Bruce Costella

Sudi Hirmanpour

Pam Kean

Elena Markow

Gary Miller

Alan Blair

Tony Gula

Mark Marcus

Kay Marcus

Happy May birthday to members Pablo Acevedo, Laura Adcock, Richard Ade, David Benfer, Annette Buhr, Larry Clemons, Ray Culver, Karen Emanuelson, Polly Greene, Paul Jackowski, Sue Joy-Sobota, Alan Silverglat, Chris Sloane, Jerry Swanson, Elizabeth Trencheny, Brenda Vertuca, Celia Williams, and Judy Williams

Edgewater Sound Meeting - Thanks to an invitation from an Edgewater Sound resident, Neighborhood Engagement Manager Mike Defferding shared an overview of LWR CERT with their neighborhood, which currently has few members. After the meeting, several Edgewater Sound residents stepped up and will be attending Basic Training in June. We look forward to meeting them.

If you would like Mike to speak at your next neighborhood gathering, contact him at MikeDefferding@lwrcert.org.

Lakewood Ranch Rotary Presentation - Members of the LWR Rotary learned about preparing for the upcoming hurricane season from Pat Knowles and Mike Defferding at their April 28 meeting at the Lakewood Ranch County Club.

Interested in having a LWR CERT member discuss Hurricane Prep at one of your organization's upcoming meetings? Contact cert@lwrcert.org or call us at 941.404.8606.

Congratulations to (left) Sebastian Ilka (KO4ZWW) and (right) Tony Gula (KO4ZWX) for receiving their amateur radio licenses in April. Volunteer Examiner Coordinator Jim Woodson (center) awarded their licenses. Sebastian and Tony are active on the LWR CERT Radio Communications Committee.

Thank you to Frank Giannone for sharing your knowledge and test study assistance.

LWR CERT on display at Town Hall - Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority Executive Director Steve Zielinski recently unveiled a display of LWR CERT awards and plaques at Town Hall. "I think it is behooving of the organization's stature in the community," said Steve. "Thanks again for all that you and the volunteers do for all of us."