Local volunteers will participate in a practice drill to test emergency communications in the event of a major disaster in Eugene neighborhoods this Saturday, October 29, from 10 a.m. – noon.
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers will participate in the training with local area radio networks, ham operators, and City of Eugene Emergency Operations staff to test the emergency communications system. Thirteen teams of two volunteers will search for yellow envelopes that contain specific messaging. Upon locating the envelopes, community members and CERT volunteers will communicate the message to ham radio operators with handheld radios to test the communications system. Ham radio operators will then prioritize and communicate the messages to the City Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
The ability for CERT volunteers to perform these activities during an actual emergency frees up professional responders to focus their efforts on more complex, essential, and critical tasks.
The neighborhoods that will be participating in the exercise are: Southeast Neighbors, Friendly Area Neighbors, Whiteaker Community Council, Santa Clara Community Organization, Harlow Neighbors, Cal Young Neighborhood Association, and Northeast Neighbors.