Local program gears up for disaster preparedness
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NORTH JACKSON — Officials with the Madison County Emergency Management Agency are encouraging residents to take advantage of its Community Emergency Response Team program as part of the 11th National Preparedness Month. “You get to do what we call a full-scale hands-on exercise. We teach you light search and rescue,” said JMCEMA Operations Manager Jimmy Floyd. The program is free and takes about 20 hours to complete. Floyd says they will bring the mobile training center to groups looking to sharpen their survival skills. Part of the disaster preparations go beyond the training, Floyd said. He says it is a good idea to make a “ready kit.” “It encompasses everything from water to medications to extra clothes, depending on the time of year,” Floyd said. When it comes to preparing locally, Floyd said the two most common natural disasters in West Tennessee are tornadoes and earthquakes. “The earthquake scenario, we really have no idea when that’s going to happen, so it could happen at any time,” he said. Some residents say they are prepared for disasters. “We’ve had power outages here. Basically we’ve got a battery operated LED lamp, we’ve got flashlights that we keep,” Keith Goodall said. Other residents admit they could do a little more. “I don’t think about it really,” said Fred Jones when asked if he has a survival kit stashed at home. “None of us are disaster proof,” Floyd said.
