Community Emergency Response Volunteers use Cultural connection to prepare families to weather what’s next
by Jason Cassidy
When severe storms batter California’s central coast, bringing high winds and further risks of falling trees, flooding, and power outages, vulnerable people and traditionally underserved communities are often the hardest hit. Community Emergency Response Volunteers (CERV) of the Monterey Peninsula is working to change that by ensuring all of the region’s residents are properly prepared before disaster strikes.
“CERV’s approach is to try to serve the most vulnerable in the county,” says Harvey Pressman, the organization’s director of grants. “So, a lot of our work is focused on people with disabilities, farmworker families, etc.”
CERV’s role is to increase emergency preparedness, foster community resilience and bolster the community’s response when serious storms and other disasters strike. This is achieved via the operation of readiness campaigns, co-sponsoring community events and workshops, grant-writing and partnering with grassroots, community-based organizations.
“Most of the materials we distribute—Monterey County has the largest number of immigrants of any county in California—I would guess like 80 percent of them are in Spanish. And for practically every document that Listos has there’s a Spanish version.”
Harvey Pressman, Director of Grants, Community Emergency Response Volunteers of the Monterey Peninsula
Pressman says CERV is currently working with 15 such local groups including Special Kids Connect (SKC), a Salinas-based organization that raises awareness and provides support for thousands of area children with developmental disabilities.
Pressman points to one CERV-supported SKC project he says has been particularly successful in promoting disaster readiness—Lotería Nights. Similar to bingo, lotería is a traditional Mexican game that features cards with colorful pictures of familiar objects and the corresponding name printed below the image. The custom cards created for the SKC’s events have images of items such as three jugs of water or a phone charger. As the children and their families play the game, they learn that the cards depict items they should have prepared when a major storm is about to make landfall or when other disasters strike.
The effort is part of the Listos California statewide outreach project, which was launched by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to ready the state’s most vulnerable groups for disasters. As part of its grant-funding, CERV is required to document stories of each project’s effectiveness. The report for this SKC’s Lotería Nights, written by Dylan Hoffman, reads in part: “The event was a huge success. The community found joy in connecting with each other, engaging in a family-friendly event, and making life-changing connections along the way. … Lotería nights make natural vehicles for this type of education, because they bolster two practices that are, in themselves, keys to disaster preparedness: community building and family involvement. The kids are active participants in these events.”
“Most of the materials we distribute—Monterey County has the largest number of immigrants of any county in California—I would guess like 80 percent of them are in Spanish,” Pressman says. “And for practically every document that Listos has there’s a Spanish version.”
Speaking about severe storms, Pressman says, “People have to be prepared for fairly long periods without power. So, what do you need to make sure you have? You don’t have lights, you don’t have water, you don’t have the capacity to cook any food.”
For more information about Community Emergency Response Volunteers (CERV) of the Monterey Peninsula and Special Kids Connect, visit their respective sites at cerv501c3.org and specialkidsconnect.org.
Severe Storm Safety
- Be aware of your surroundings and be on the lookout for falling trees
- Secure outdoor objects and remove debris that could cause damage in high winds
- Stay away from downed power lines and report them immediately
- Prepare for power outages with batteries and generators (operated outside at least 20 feet from doors and windows)
For more information on how to prepare for and stay safe during severe storms and other emergencies, visit www.listoscalifornia.org.
