FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2014
CONTACT
Matt Myerhoff, Media Information Officer
(818) 293-89962
mmyerhoff@malibucity.org [mailto:mmyerhoff@malibucity.org ]
Malibu CERT Team Volunteers Jump Into Action to Assist in Water Main Break Incident On Thanksgiving Day
(Malibu CA) - The Malibu Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers were called on to assist the City on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27, when a water main break caused a large sinkhole on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and flooding on Broad Beach Road.
“I thank and commend the volunteer members of the Malibu CERT Team Michelle Stein, Juergen Cords, Linda Nicholas, and Pete Bowman, for stepping forward to help their fellow community members and assist emergency responders,” said Malibu Mayor Skylar Peak.
The four CERT volunteers helped L.A County Sheriff’s Deputies with traffic control and with providing information to the public during the incident, which left a neighborhood without water for about 24 hours. The CERT team assisted with house-to house flooding assessment, helping to determine quickly that water did not enter any houses.
“It was a great feeling to be able to put into practice some of the skills I've learned since being involved with CERT and being able the help the community,” said Michelle Stein, a CERT volunteer who lives in Malibu.
“I can’t stress enough how valuable the CERT program is,” said Division VII Assistant Fire Chief Anthony Whittle. “During a large-scale emergency like an earthquake, CERT volunteers will be the closest source of help, because first responders just won’t be available. During localized emergencies, Malibu CERT members have shown us their value first-hand, as they helped us in providing much needed and timely information to residents during the 2007 wildfires and now, again, during this water main break.”
The CERT program is a highly acclaimed program of free courses administered by the City of Malibu and by public safety agencies across the country. Volunteers are trained in basic first aid, fire suppression, and search and rescue so that they can provide emergency assistance to their neighbors, and assist emergency responders. They can provide extremely valuable assistance with basic functions such as traffic control, searching for injured people, accounting for missing residents, distributing food and medical supplies, and organizing volunteers. The City of Malibu’s Emergency Services Coordinator offers a regular CERT training course at City Hall.
For information about Malibu’s CERT courses, email Emergency Services Coordinator Brad Davis at bdavis@malibucity.org [mailto:bdavis@malibucity.org] .
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