Give me shelter

photo by Frederick Stein

By Deborah Weiss
December 7, 2007

Last Sunday, while many residents were still nursing a cup of coffee over the New York Times, members of New Castle’s community emergency response team, or CERT as it is typically referred to, assembled at Seven Bridges Middle School to review logistics in the event that the school ever needs to be converted into a temporary emergency shelter for residents.

The crisp bite of the morning air, along with the season’s first accumulation of snow on the ground, lent a serious air to the exercise.

Last real emergency in New Castle – May 2007

The last time CERT was called out on a real emergency was in May 2007, when high winds downed several trees and made some New Castle roads impassable. Power to town traffic lights was knocked out, which added to the confusion just as school buses were attempting to deliver elementary school children home. Then, rush hour traffic began.. Many residents arrived home only to find that they too were without electricity. A state of emergency was declared in New Castle.

Town officials, police department, fire department, ambulance corps and CERT all sprung into action. Individuals trapped in cars were safely extricated. Police and response team members became human traffic lights. Residents kept groups of students safe in their homes. Drivers were re-routed to their destinations when they found roads closed. Residents banded together. The weather was temperate and the day light hours long. BBQ’s served as temporary kitchens. People got by, but it could have been very different.

Imagine a similar event taking place during a February blizzard. It would be cold and dark. There might be snow and ice and high winds. Without power or heat, residents could find themselves in life-threatening situations. Finding shelter would be top priority. For these reasons, the drill on Sunday was especially important.

Seven Bridges and Greeley designated emergency shelters

Seven Bridges Middle School and Horace Greeley High School are two facilities designated as emergency shelters should the need arise. Close to 100 cots are stored in each location along with first aid supplies and rations. Separate areas would be designated for checking in, sleeping, eating, hygiene and socializing. It would be a far cry from home, but it would at least provide a safe respite for people to gather their thoughts, make plans and return to a semblance of normalcy as soon as possible. To date, twenty four CERT members have been trained in shelter operations by the Westchester chapter of the American Red Cross. A similar exercise is planned at Horace Greeley High School in the near future.

Deborah Weiss has been a member of New Castle CERT since 2005.

For more information on CERT or to become a member, please visit the CERT section of the New Castle web site at: http://www.newcastle-ny.org/
For information on emergency preparedness, please visit: http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/ or http://www.redcross.org
Contact: Dara Epstein, CERT public relations, at