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NYC CERT Newsletter | Issue 97| 11/05/2022

This weekly newsletter should provide you with helpful information that you can share and discuss with your community members.

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We hope everyone had a very happy and spooky Halloween!! Thank you to all who volunteered this month, your support allows us to further serve the communities we live in through providing individual education on emergency preparedness. Let's keep up the great work moving into this next month!

October After Action Review

In October, NYC CERT volunteers answered the call to a multitude of planned deployments; these deployments included the 2022 National 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb as well as the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Cancer Walk. Other opportunities included advanced trainings, such as Active Shooter Webinars, that provide invaluable materials for our volunteers and others alike. And last but not least, volunteers participated in a Citizen Awareness training that expanded the group of potential members providing preparedness education throughout the city. Thank you, NYC CERT members!

Quiz of the Week

Thank you to all who participated in last week's Quiz of the Week. The correct answer is: d) Marine Park 9/11 Vigil

The Marine Park 9/11 Vigil was supported by CERT volunteers who collectively submitted 70+ hours of service. Thank you to all members who supported this deployment and all other operations during National Preparedness month!

NYCEM 'PREP TALK' PODCAST DISCUSSES THE 10-YEAR HURRICANE SANDY ANNIVERSARY AND ITS UNPRECEDENTED IMPACTS ON NEW YORK CITY

The storm forever changed New York City and was a pivotal moment in creating change to combat climate change and the increase in extreme weather events.

On this episode of “Prep Talk” Herman Schaffer, Deputy Commissioner of Community Engagement and Heather Roiter, Assistant Commissioner of risk and recovery at NYC Emergency Management, discuss the catastrophic effects of Hurricane Sandy and the role that NYC Emergency Management played during the preparedness, response and recovery stages. They also discuss lessons the city has learned, programs implemented since the destructive storm hit, and how they prepare for future storms.

 

“Leading up to the storm, a lot of my concern was making sure that people were heading the message,” said NYC Emergency Management Deputy Commissioner of Community Engagement Herman Schaffer. “Making sure people knew what their [hurricane evacuation] zones were and react I think is super important to our messaging, and people don’t know their zones ahead of time.”

 

“You want to be cautious and use the best information possible,” said NYC Emergency Management Assistant Commissioner of Risk and Reduction Heather Roiter. “There is always going to be a big window of uncertainty when you have to make these big critical decisions [to evacuate].”

 

You can listen to the latest episode on SoundCloud, iTunes & Spreaker

Probationary ID's

Cycle 40 probationary members' IDs expired on Monday, October 31st. Please contact your leadership if your ID is expired. A leadership member can choose to pick up your ID or designate a rep (or you!) to pick up. As always, pick-ups will be coordinated with Denise Esposito, desposito@oem.nyc.gov.

MONDAY RADIO ROLL CALL


Borough Channel: Manhattan (CERT MN)

 

Call Scenario: Report the unit #’s of the radios your division possesses.


11/07 Responding Borough: Bronx


Documents to Review:

Citywide Radio Drill Refresher

Call signs per Radio

Each week we will have a survey with questions that relates back to lessons learned during NYC CERT training or your experience as a member. The answer will be revealed in the following week's newsletter. Good Luck!


Click Here!

The NYC CERT Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) provides guidance and outlines policies and procedures for you and your team to follow.

NYC CERT Division maps are available (pdf format) to support recruitment and preparedness planning in your community.


Brooklyn - Bronx - Manhattan - Queens - Staten Island

View the NYC CERT Event Calendar to see upcoming training, meetings, and planned deployments.



After you participate, be sure to Submit Your Volunteer Hours!


For more questions on how to submit your service hours you can view the Hours Submission FAQs.

If your division is hosting or participating in an upcoming event, please complete the Event Request form to have your opportunity published through Eventbrite.com for members to register.

Your NYC CERT Ready New York Liaison can submit a Ready New York Material Request for upcoming events.

Get Notified with New York City's official source for information about emergency alerts and important city services. Download the free Notify NYC mobile app, available for iOS and Android.

VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY

Planned Deployments

Citizen Awareness Training

NYC CERT member, Christopher Lino and CERT Specialist, Regina Wilson attended assembly member Khaleel Anderson’s Citizen Awareness Training in Far Rockaway Queens. Whilst answering emergency preparedness questions from the community members in attendance, they also had the chance to recruit potential members for the program.

10th Anniversary of Sandy at Canarsie Piers 

NYC CERT Members from Brooklyn Division 5, Division 7 along with the Deputy Borough Coordinator were present during the 10th anniversary ceremony of super storm Sandy held at Canarsie Piers.     

There they were asked to write an encouraging thought/word for others that may have been affected by the super storm a decade ago. Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse and a representative from Congressman Hakeem Jeffries office were also in attendance. The Yellow ribbon in the above photo was held by all to symbolize the connection we all have. Thank you to all who attended!

Bronx Division 4

On Thursday, October 27th, Bronx Division 4 provided a Ready New York presentation to the Soundview community members at the Life Together Works site located on Lafayette Avenue in Bronx, NY. The presentation was well received, and some additional requests have been received to provide the presentation for other organizations at a number of sites in the East Bronx.

Queens Division 3

On Sunday, October 30th, Queens Division 3 participated in a tabling event promoting community preparedness during the local Forest Hills Street Fair located in MacDonald Park. Throughout the event, they distributed Ready New York preparedness material to the public in order to ensure more members of the public are better prepared for any emergency that may occur. The division was also visited by Senator Addabbo. The Senator expressed appreciation for CERT's participation in the event and thanked them for their diligent efforts. Well done Division 3!

Autumn Festival in Marine Park

The Autumn Festival, hosted Assembly member Jaime Williams was attended by members of Brooklyn Division 7. Emergency preparedness material was made available to the people in attendance at the Carmine Carro Center located in Marine Park, Brooklyn. Many families came to show support for the festival and the children had fun in their Halloween costumes! Thank you for your help, Division 7!

Division Meetings

Manhattan Division 2

In their monthly meeting, Division 2 members started to brainstorm ideas for their upcoming social event. With a few locations in mind, the division is spearheading the holiday season with alternate ideas for possible meetings, peer-to-peer training while being mindful of different holiday observances in the Division. Looking forward to your next event!

Brooklyn Division 7

Brooklyn Division Chief, Nancy Walby introduced several new initiatives; one being the start of a retention and recruitment council. As volunteers have noticed gaps affecting their division, they have taken the initiative by forming two different groups with both new and veteran members supporting these groups. Also, with the begging of the holiday party planning, NYCEM really encourages members to plan morale and fun events promoting team building and morale boosters. Happy Holidays!

Download NYC CERT Background for use during CERT meetings and training in a virtual environment (e.g. Microsoft Teams, Zoom, etc.)

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

NYC CERT CALENDAR

NYC CERT members will be supporting the United War Veterans Council Dispersal with Crowd Management and other Street Marshal positions.

Register Now: 

103rd Annual NYC Veterans Day Parade Registration, Fri, Nov 11, 2022 at 9:00 AM 

NYC CERT members will be supporting The New York City Police Department Community Affairs Unit with crowd management and general tabling with ReadyNY material to all participants.

Register Now:

Latin Experience for Seniors, Thu, Nov 10, 2022 at 12:00pm

NYC CERT members will be assisting the Community Mayors for Children with Special Needs, Inc. with their annual Operation Santa Claus event at JFK Airport, Port Authority Hangar No. 19. This event has been on hiatus the past few years, so it's great to be able to provide this opportunity again.

Register Now:

Community Mayors for Special Children with Special Needs, Wed, Dec 07, 2022 at 8:00am

Are you interested in joining the NYC CERT Recruitment Group? NYCEM is trying to expand the group, to better assist all boroughs with recruitment. Recruitment group info sessions will be offered at the start of the monthly meeting, going forward, to enable interested CERT members the opportunity to hear more about this task force and meet current members of the group. This is a great opportunity to be a part of the effort to grow membership in the program. Consider joining us for an info session this year! Dates and registration links below:


Monday, Nov. 14th at 6:30PM



Monday, Dec. 19th at 6:30PM

Buddy Check



As we close out a long year of volunteering to support your community and head into a new year with new challenges, please take some time to support one another. The best way to do that is by performing buddy checks.

What is a buddy check?

Taking the time to check on family and friends, especially those unable to leave their home for any reason. You might be surprised by the impact you'll have on those who you connect with.


Report your Volunteer Hours

Search for Buddy Check Event

Are you interested in becoming a mentor to new NYC CERT members?

All Volunteer leadership should be encouraging active members to serve in a mentor role in order to support both their growth as leaders and provide new opportunities for newer members to become more engaged.


Complete the NYC CERT Mentor Program form to let us know if you'd like to be a mentor or mentee.

Complete the Matching Questionnaire to help pair the mentor to a mentee. Both forms must be filled out to participate in the program.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

NYC CERT online platform includes online courses to support volunteer growth.

Schedule free training for your Division here : FDNY Smart Fire Safety.

FEMA Region 2 (R2) Webinar Catalogue includes all recorded webinars.

COVID-19 Community Conversations: Mental Health, Equity and Resilience

DOHMH is offering free virtual training to community groups. There are two options, a 1-hour informational virtual presentation and a 3-hour interactive training (available in English, Spanish, Cantonese, and Mandarin).

THINGS TO KNOW

NYCEM's YouTube page

NYC CERT recruitment video

2021 National Volunteer Week video

Resolve to Be Ready Calendar

Regular reminders in simple steps that can help you work preparedness into your busy schedule.

Listen to the NEW episodes of NYCEM's two podcasts, Prep Talk (SoundCloud, iTunes & Spreaker) and ¡Prepárate! on SoundCloud.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan have recently declared a public health emergency due to the Monkeypox outbreak.


For regularly updated information on Monkeypox please visit: nyc.gov/monkeypox



KNOW YOUR ZONE is your destination for everything you need to know about hurricanes in New York City.


You'll find information about the city's hurricane evacuation zones, the hazards you may face from a hurricane, and what to do to prepare.

NYC Emergency Management | NYC.gov/emergencymanagement

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