Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1177534
| OHCC LIVING | NOVEMBER 2019 | 5 By John Slayton, CERT Operations Chief As most of you know, part of our community experienced an electrical outage a few weeks ago. Although this event did not meet the threshold for formal CERT Organization activation, several members did take the initiative to walk, drive, or bike through the affected area to assist any neighbors in need of assistance. As information on outage status and resident assistance needs became available updates were provided to CERT members via its Information and Emergency Alert System (mass texting and voice broadcasting) as well as by utilizing our Emergency Radio Network of portable two-way radios. If these terms are not familiar to you and you wish to learn more, contact us at ohcccert@gmail.com. At the time of the event, CERT was made aware of only a few requests for assistance, and those were quickly resolved. However, since that time, stories have circulated describing outage related situations that have ranged from very inconvenient to life threatening, dealing mainly with medical conditions that required the use of support equipment powered by electricity. For privacy reasons I cannot describe the situations, but they all have at least two things in common: lack of a backup power supply or other support measures not requiring electricity, and no requests for help from neighbors. If your household has stairlift chairs or other personal lifting devices, or oxygen generating equipment, or any other life enhancing or sustaining mechanisms now is the time to ask yourself "what if;" what if the electricity goes out again, am I prepared. How would my loved one come down the stairs if I needed to evacuate because of an extended power outage? You know the chair has a backup battery, but you keep getting that beeping sound and error code indicating a battery problem that you'll take care of 'one day.' You have an oxygen generating device that works just fine — until it doesn't. Should you have a supply of canisters? I'm not qualified to answer these questions, but there are people who are — please reach out to them. We tend to think of the GREEN and RED signs (you remember them don't you – they're the ones in the garage maybe, or in one of the kitchen drawers), as CERT signs to be used in the case of major emergencies only. That's not always the case. Think of them as a community "SOS." If you need assistance for any reason - associated with a power outage or not, please place the RED – HELP side of the sign in a visible location. Don't be shy about asking for help. The resident who related one of the above incidents to me also made a simple statement, "If I had only known my neighbor needed help. At a minimum, I could have called 911." Know your neighbors and make sure they know you. We have potentially 2,500 neighbors and each one can be an emergency responder, or at least a friend. We can all use more friends. The moral of my story: PREPARE. Electrical outages will happen again; people smarter than me say earthquakes will happen; everyone says something will happen. Be ready. We Truly Are A Community Every resident needs a bag tag (available at the Clubhouse). Every player needs their own bag. Single rider carts are for one single rider only! Golf Course Reminders