Hurricane awareness on Seabrook Island

In the event of a hurricane, the Seabrook Island community is more than prepared. On June 14, the Town of Seabrook Island hosted a hurricane awareness meeting for the community. The set-up of the meeting was very efficient as individual groups were stationed at different places in the parking lot adjacent to Seabrook Town Hall. Among those gathered were the Seabrook Island CERT team, Charleston County Project Impact, the St. John’s Fire Department and mobile safety unit, as well as a representative from Muhler Windows.

Seabrook Island CERT
This station was supervised by local CERT team leader, Ron Bourn, and CERT member Sue Holloman. Recruited by local POA leader Jim Tarter, the members of the Seabrook CERT have a very special relationship, says Ron Bourn. They are the only single whole community to have come in as a group and trained together as such from the very beginning. The CERT requires 8 weeks of training (one 3 hour session per week) in areas such as search and rescue, medical triage, fire suppression, disaster psychology and teamwork. There are typically 23-24 people on a team.

Next, Susan presented an array of items that CERT members carry with them during any emergency. Bundled into a single, durable green backpack, the emergency items included thermal blankets, a flashlight, gauze and bandages, rubber gloves and a first aid kit, socks, goggles, water and energy bars, helmets, a roll of duct tape, spray paint, a leatherman, a multi-part screwdriver, and medical triage tape. Ron explained that the spray paint was for marking doors of buildings or houses appropriately so as to let other emergency-response members know the situation on the inside. An “X” is marked on the door of a building that has already been entered or analyzed by a crew and each corner of the X contains vital information for those trained to recognize the codes. This information includes things such as potential hazards on the inside or the state of individuals inside (injuries, etc.). Accordingly, triage tape is used on the arms or legs of those injured to signify, through different colored tape, the condition of the individual, as well as to let other rescue members know that the individual has been medically examined.

The CERT team is trained not only for hurricanes, but tornadoes and other disasters, as well. The Team also participates in other local happenings, including air shows, recovering lost children and traffic direction. The team is a vital part of the Seabrook community at large; they not only make themselves available to people in times of disaster, but serve their neighbors and fellow community members regularly in other ways.

Charleston County Project Impact
Project Impact is an effort on the part of the county to help communities become more disaster-resistant. Among the informational flyers and handouts were guidelines for flood, earthquake, tornado and wildlife hazards. Volunteer Joni Rennhack guided our attention to a hazard crossword puzzle and a publication that Project Impact put out in conjunction with the South Carolina fire departments called the South Carolina Firehouse Cookbook. The cookbook includes firefighters’ favorite recipes as well as those contributed by committee members. One of Joni’s favorites is the Oatmeal War Bread, a recipe for bread from 1918 during WWI when ingredients were scarce and a small amount of food had to last a long time. This recipe was contributed by previous committee member Charlotte Gillespie. For more information on Project Impact or to purchase a copy of the cookbook, call 202-6940.

St. John’s Mobile Safety Unit
The most interactive information booth was hosted by Chief Smith of St. John’s Fire Rescue, who gave a guided tour of the St. John‘s Mobile Safety Unit. One of the main uses of the safety-mobile is to teach children every aspect of fire safety. The unit includes a kitchen complete with a stove and burners that glow to simulate heat, a main room with a fireplace that also glows, and a heated door to teach children how to be aware of a fire in the next room. Each room is also outfitted with a fire detector and the ability to fill the room with smoke. One of the other notable components of the unit is a surround sound system and lights that dim to darken the main room. With these tools, Chief Smith can simulate severe weather, such as a hurricane or tornado, as well as a house fire. Other teaching aids include a video entitled “Be Cool About Fire Safety” and packets complete with educational coloring books for the children to take home at the end of the tour.