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8.3.4 Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs)
Section VIII : NGOs and Voluntary Agencies
In most disasters, community members are the first to respond before any outside assistance
can reach the disaster site. Therefore in certain disaster prone areas a group of young
volunteers or Community Emergency Response Teams are being formed and trained to
undertake essential tasks which would reduce loss of life and property and at the same time
build confidence in self-management. Essentially CERTs would contribute in the following
areas:
1. Organising training and preparedness exercises at the community level
2. Ensuring family preparedness on the receipt of warning
3. Ensuring communication links both within the community and with administration
4. Controlling rumours and panic behaviour and undertaking confidence building activities
5. Mobilising youth and able-bodied persons from the community to provide volunteers
support, wherever required
6. Organising local work teams for immediate rescue, and relief e.g. cooked food, first aid,
assistance in law and order
7. Assisting the handicapped who need special help
8. Facilitating movement of relief teams during evacuation and relief and ensuring
appropriate tagging as and when necessary
9. Guarding major installations and evacuated properties till the administration takes over.
These CERTs are expected to support the efforts of the Gram Panchayat and Tahsildar.
8.3.5 Villages where CERTs can be formed
High-risk villages which have been identified by the district administration according to the
following criteria.
Epidemic-prone Villages
Earthquake-prone Villages
Riverside Villages
Remote Villages
The list of such villages are given in Section 3.2 of Volume I of the Plan.
Jalna District Disaster Response Plan Vol II - 143