Week of September 11th Set Aside by City of Fortuna to Honor Fortuna CERT’s Recovery Efforts Following Last December’s 6.4 Earthquake

This is a press release from the Fortuna Community Emergency Response Team:

The week of September 11^th has been set aside by Fortuna’s Mayor and City Council as Fortuna Community Emergency Response Team week to honor the efforts of  Fortuna CERT team members in recovery efforts following last December’s 6.4 magnitude earthquake.

Just as importantly, this week has been set aside to encourage Fortuna residents to examine their own preparedness efforts.  

According to Mayor Tami Trent, “I encourage my fellow residents of Fortuna to use this week to examine their own and their family’s preparedness, gain the necessary skills that will help them to deal with a large-scale emergency or disaster, and learn how they can assist their neighbors in time of need.”

There are many resources available to assist with individual, family and business preparedness efforts; including checklists for creating emergency kits, free online training classes and much more.  Many of these resources are available via links on Fortuna CERT teams web page, in both English and Spanish.

https://www.fortuna-cert.com         or    https://www.fortuna-cert.com/about-3

The site includes links to the free online CERT training program which can be completed at one’s own pace and convenience.  It also includes contact information for anyone who might be interested in becoming an active member of Fortuna’s CERT team and completing the hands-on skills training.

According to Fortuna CERT team lead, Enoch Ibarra, “Our team is dedicated to, first of all, educating Fortuna community members, businesses, schools and houses of worship in the basic skills needed for them to be able to respond to the needs of their own families, their neighbors and themselves, in the first days following a disaster.  

The team’s secondary objective is to be able to provide an immediate response to our community in the first hours and days of a disaster, when needed. 

We serve as a ‘force multiplier’ for our first responders during a large-scale community event, emergency, or disaster; as it did last December.

Fortuna’s CERT team serves under the guidance of, and with the support of the Fortuna Fire District; working closely with other members of teams from throughout the Humboldt County.

I encourage everyone to take advantage of these free resources, including the training, to help themselves prepare to deal with the aftermath of the next disaster.”