edward p. mangano cert all-member monthly...

From the desk of the Deputy Director

Eric Zausner

As the last of the snow quickly melts away and we find ourselves in spring,

now is a great time to reflect back on a very successful winter; which yielded us nearly

50 new members. This winter we also held several advanced trainings in Leadership,

CPR and outreach.

As we move into Spring, Jim and I are working to continue to bring you new

advanced trainings, and also continuing to refine our outreach selection process so that

we will only be going to the best events with the most amount of people.

Looking forward, we have a very exciting spring ahead of us filled with a POD

Drill, the airshow and the marathon to name but a few of the things that are going on.

There is also a new Basic Training in New Hyde Park that is going to start on April

29th. If you know anyone who might want to sign up, or if you, yourself would like to

take the class as a refresher; please let us know

All in all 2015, is looking to shape up in a great year for CERT, lots of new

training and exciting drills & events. Both Jim and I look forward to seeing each of

you at these events this spring.

Eric

I N S I D E T H I S

N E W S L E T T E R :

Deputy Director’s Report

1

CERT News 2

Event Calendars 3,

4

Flooding 5

&

5A

NEW Mass Communications System

6

Black out

preparedness

7

The Wrap Up 8

CERT All-Member Monthly Newsletter A P R I L 2 0 1 5

CERT IS

WHAT

YOU

MAKE IT!

PAGE 1

Main Office:

516-573-9656

Email:

[email protected]

From the desk of Deputy Director

Eric Zausner

We often think we are prepared for whatever comes our way;

however, the Monster Blizzard we had just two weeks ago shows us that

while we as CERTs may be prepared, our friends and neighbors still aren’t.

How many people do you know that rushed out to the Supermarket at the

sight of the first few snow flakes to buy Milk, Bread, Eggs or to the

Hardware store to quickly pick up Rock Salt or a Snow Shovel?

Living on Long Island, many feel that disasters are something that

happens to other people elsewhere in our country. We in Nassau

experience so many different types of natural hazards from Hurricanes, to

Blizzards, to Earthquakes to even Tornadoes. The CERT Basic as you all

know provides 7 weeks of preparedness training in many different areas .

For those who haven’t been to a Basic Class in a while, I would suggest

coming to a few or all of the sessions; as we recently re-wrote the course

to change the focus to make it more Nassau County centric.

At the very least, even if you cannot attend this Basic Class, I know

that you all value the training that you received, please pass the

information on the next page to friends, family, and co-workers who you

feel would benefit from this training so that we at CERT can make

Commissioner Craft’s mission of making Nassau, the largest safest most

prepared suburban county in the nation a reality.

Thanks for all your help in making the Commissioner’s vision a reality!

EZ

I N S I D E T H I S

N E W S L E T T E R:

Deputy Director’s Note

1

CERT News 2

Event Calendars 3,4

Blizzard of

1996… 20 Years

5,6

Mangano announces

Warmbed

7

Theme Park

Safety

8

Winter Safety: Ice

Tips

9

DHS Sandy Audits 10

CERT All-Member

Monthly

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

CERT IS

WHAT

YOU

MAKE IT

PAGE 1

Main Office:

516-573-0636

Email:

[email protected]

Edward P. Mangano

County Executive

Craig J. Craft

Commissioner

mailto:[email protected]


Our next Basic Class...

CERT On-goings

ALL COUNTY MEETING

Jim and I were extremely happy with the turnout as over 125 people came out on a very cold night. Amy Simonson gave

a great presentation on flooding, and Jim and I were proud to recognize Amy for her dedication to Nassau County from

County Executive Ed Mangano. It was a great meeting and I hope that you all enjoyed our vision for 2016.

ICS 100 Class

Division 2 Winter Meeting

February 2016 - Upcoming Events February 2016

Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat

1 2 3

Incident

Response to

Terrorist

Bombings

Class

4 5 6

7

8 RACES

MEETING

SPECIAL NIGHT

Lecture Hall 7:00PM

9 BASIC CLASS

#1 Lecture Hall

7:00pm

10

11 12 13

14 15 16 BASIC CLASS

#2 Lecture Hall

7:00pm

17

18

Division

Leaders

Lecture Hall

7:00 PM

19

20

21 22 23 BASIC CLASS

#3 Lecture Hall

7:00pm &

Division 4 Winter

Meeting

24

25 26 27

28 29

RACES/Comms Meeting -

SPECIAL NIGHT

February 8th

Lecture Hall Time: 7:00 pm

Division Leaders Meeting - February 18th


Division #4 Winter Meeting

February 23rd– Marcus Christ, NHP

CERT Basic Class

February 9, 16, 23

Lecture Hall 7:00pom-10:00pm

Holidays in February

Lincoln’s Birthday February 12th

Washington’s Birthday February 15th

As a reminder the CERT Office and the County of Nassau will be closed

on these dates

Incident Response to Terrorist Class

February 3rd 7:30PM OEM Lecture Hall

Roster & Wait List CLOSED

***Please do not attend if you didn’t receive an email

confirming your spot on the roster***

March 2016 - Upcoming Events March 2016

Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat

1

CERT BASIC

CLASS

7:00PM

BETHPAGE

2 3 4 5

6 7

8

CERT BASIC

CLASS

7:00PM

BETHPAGE

9

10

11

12

13 14 15

CERT BASIC

CLASS

7:00PM

BETHPAGE

16 17

Division

Leaders

Meeting 7PM

Lecture Hall

18

19

20 21 RACES

Meeting 7:00PM

Lecture Hall

22

CERT BASIC

CLASS

7:00PM

BETHPAGE

23 24 25 26

27

28 29 30

ICS 100

7:00PM

Lecture Hall

31

ICS 100

7:00PM

Lecture Hall

RACES/Comms Meeting

Monday March 21st

OEM Lecture Hall

Time: 7:00 pm

**Please Note the Night**

ICS 100 Class

March 30 & 31

OEM Lecture Hall

Time 7:00 pm

Division Leaders Meeting -

Thurs March 17th


Holidays in March

Daylight Savings Time March 13

Palm Sunday March 20

Purim March 23

Good Friday March 25

Easter March 27

CERT BASIC CLASS CONTINUES

TUESDAYS

MARCH 1-22

The Historic Blizzard of 1996

20 Years Later…

A Look Back

Snow begins falling in Washington, D.C., and up the Eastern seaboard, beginning a blizzard that kills 154 people

and causes over $1 billion in damages before it ends.

The Blizzard of 1996 began in typical fashion, as cold air from Canada pushed down and collided with relatively

warm winds from the Gulf of Mexico. The clashing weather fronts caused a terrible combination of snow and

wind. Snow began to fall in the District of Columbia about 9 p.m.; 12 inches fell over the course of the next 24

hours. In Lynchburg, Virginia, it was worse: A record 20 inches of snow fell in a single day. Since wind gusts

were reaching up to 50 miles per hour, snow drifts piled up in many areas and travel was nearly impossible.

As the storm moved northeast, it continued to break records. Newark, New Jersey, received a total of 28 inches

over several days. Providence, Rhode Island, received 32 inches and Philadelphia was inundated with 30 inches.

The Philadelphia schools were closed until January 16 due to the city’s inability to clear the heavy snow promptly

from the streets.

Overall, the blizzard took a serious toll on both people and property. A church roof in Harlem collapsed, injuring

several people in New York City. Barns all over Pennsylvania collapsed under the weight of so much snow. As a

precaution, many supermarkets, which often feature large flat roofs, closed across the region. Two buses collided

in Pittsburgh and 52 were seriously injured. The storm deaths were mainly the result of traffic accidents, collapsed

trees and homeless people dying from hypothermia. In a few instances, people who were trapped in their cars died

from carbon monoxide poisoning. Pennsylvania suffered the most deaths, with approximately 80.

President Bill Clinton was forced to shut down the federal government for nearly a week because of the storm. He

declared D.C. and nine states to be disaster areas. Estimates of the total property damage suffered ranged from

$600 million to $3 billion.

County Executive Ed Mangano: Warm Bed Emergency Shelter Relief Program is Open

Mineola, NY - With cold weather entering the region, Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano reminds resi-

dents that Warm Bed, Nassau County’s Emergency Shelter Relief Program, is open to assist homeless individuals and

families during the winter months. Yesterday, Governor Cuomo issued an Executive Order that directs homeless in-

dividuals to shelter during inclement winter weather which can cause hypothermia, serious injury and death.

“I remind residents that Nassau County operates a winter homeless hotline, 1-866-WARM-BED, seven days a week

and is at the ready to provide shelter to those in need. No resident should have to spend nights in the freezing cold

when they can call the Nassau County Hotline and be placed in a warm shelter right away,” said County Executive

Mangano.

The Nassau County Winter Homeless Hotline began operation on November 25, 2015 and runs seven days a week

through March 31st, 2016. If winter conditions persist beyond March 31st, the program will continue until warmer

weather arrives.

Between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Monday thru Thursday, and Friday from 6:00 p.m. thru Monday at 8:00

a.m., employees from the Department of Social Services (DSS) will make appropriate referrals and provide shelter

placement. Once placed, the staff at DSS and the Office of Housing & Community Development will contact those

who are homeless in order to access resources for permanent housing. County Executive Mangano also urges Nas-

sau’s homeless veterans to take advantage of the program, where they will be assisted by the Nassau County Veterans

Services Agency.

During the 2014/2015 season, a total of 257 individuals were housed by the WARMBED program. These referrals

included 165 adults 92 children.

NASSAU COUNTY HOMELESS HOTLINE (WARMBED):

1-866-927-6233 (1-866- WARMBED)

EMERGENCY NUMBERS: Department of Social Services (516) 227-8519: After office hours (516) 573-8626

Long Island Crisis Center (516) 679-1111

The Safe Center L.I. (516) 542-0404

Nassau University Medical Center (516) 572-0123

###

In a sign of how jittery the nation has become about terrorism and gun violence, major theme parks on Thursday

installed metal detectors at the front of their attractions.

In Orlando, Walt Disney World would not say how long its metal detectors would be in place. SeaWorld said it had

installed the devices as part of enhanced security for the holidays. Universal Orlando said it was testing using them

as guests approach the theme parks.

The changes extend outside Orlando. Disneyland and Universal Studios in Hollywood are also installing the detec-

tors.

Security in general has been a big concern following recent attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif. On Wednes-

day, the federal Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin saying it was “especially concerned that terror-

ist-inspired individuals and homegrown violent extremists may be encouraged or inspired to target public events or

places.” It said the public should expect to see more police and more stringent security at public places and events.

Disney World — where a man was arrested last weekend after trying to enter the Magic Kingdom with a gun — is

now discontinuing the sale of toy guns. It is also banning people 14 and older from wearing costumes — even at

Halloween parties. More deputies and security guards have been visible at the resort lately, and specially trained

dogs have been patrolling key areas. The movie theater at Disney Springs where tonight’s high profile premiere of

the new “Star Wars” movie takes place will also have at least one metal detector.

“We continually review our comprehensive approach to security and are implementing additional security

measures, as appropriate,” Disney said in a statement.

Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said the decision to test metal detectors was not driven by a specific threat. He

said in an email: “We want our guests to feel safe when they come here. We’ve long used metal detection for spe-

cial events, such as Halloween Horror Nights. This test is a natural progression for us as we study best practices for

security in today’s world.”

SeaWorld said in an email it would be “enhancing security measures for the busy holiday season, including in-

creased security presence both inside and outside the parks.”

On social media, many theme park fans welcomed the changes and called them long overdue.

Metal detectors have become more common for general security reasons. Travelers have walked through them at

airports for years. Fans attending NBA games go through them. Major League Baseball has begun requiring them

for its teams’ games.

Six Flags theme parks put up metal detectors, most of them after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, at the main

gates. In 2004, Disney World experimented with metal detectors at its entrance but did not make them permanent.

Earlier this year, Universal put up metal detectors in front of some rides to make sure that people don’t bring on

items such as cell phones.

Popular Theme Parks Install Metal Detectors to Enhance Security

D H S W A R N E D O F I N D I V I D U A L S A N D

H O M E G R O W N V I O L E N T E X T R E M I S T S W H O

M A Y B E E N C O U R A G E D O R I N S P I R E D T O

T A R G E T P U B L I C E V E N T S O R P L A C E S .

Sandra Pedicini, Orlando Sentinel | December 17, 2015

Winter Recreation: Ice Safety Submitted by: Jayne Cafaro - Deputy Supervisor - Division 1

You should always take extreme caution when venturing onto ice — falling through can cause hypothermia and drowning. Follow these general ice safety tips to help protect you and your family this winter:

Test the Ice

Always test the thickness of the ice first. Ice needs to be at least 4 inches thick for safety on foot.

How to test: Use a chisel or auger to make a hole, and measure the thickness with a tape measure.

How often to test: Test the ice every 150 feet, as ice rarely freezes uniformly, and never as-sume a winter's worth of ice is safe — new ice is stronger than old ice.

Look for clear ice. Clear ice is twice as strong as snow-covered or white ice. When testing the latter, it should be twice as thick.

On the Ice

Don't forget these safety considerations.

Dress appropriately. Wear shoes or boots with plenty of traction and layer up with water -resistant clothing.

Use the buddy system. Never go onto the ice alone, and always stay 10 feet from your part-ner when moving on the ice. That way, if one person falls in, the other is able to help.

If You Fall Through the Ice

Know what to do in this worst-case scenario.

Remember to bring safety tools. Before you head out on the ice, make sure you have ice picks to help you climb out of the water and a whistle to call for help.

Don't panic. You'll lose energy fast, so make slow and intentional movements toward the place you fell in.

Avoid standing up right away. Travel away from the hole on your stomach or side — keeping your body weight evenly distributed across the ice to help prevent further cracks.

Homeland Security Audits Disaster Recovery Money for Sandy on Long Island

A U D I T S O F T H R E E E N T I T I E S H A V E B E E N O N G O I N G S I N C E L A S T Y E A R A N D W E R E I N C L U D E D

I N A N E N D - O F - Y E A R R O U N D U P O F I N V E S T I G A T I O N S A N D O T H E R P R O J E C T S U N D E R T A K E N

B Y T H E I N S P E C T O R G E N E R A L ’ S O F F I C E .

Emily C. Dooley, Newsday | January 25, 2016

(TNS) - The inspector general’s office for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is auditing how Long Beach

City schools, the Town of North Hempstead and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn are handling Super-

storm Sandy disaster recovery money.

Audits of the three entities have been ongoing since last year and were included in an end-of-year roundup of in-

vestigations and other projects undertaken by the inspector general’s office.

“We end up doing a lot of audits to see if the money is being spent consistent with policies and procedures,” said

Homeland’s Assistant Inspector General John Kelly, whose division is emergency management oversight.

Kelly’s unit is charged with ensuring Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster money is spent properly

and that abuse, fraud and waste are identified in a timely manner. About 15 to 20 Sandy audits have been conduct-

ed or are ongoing from all the areas affected by Sandy, Kelly said.

While reports of fraud can trigger an audit, it is not the only reason the inspector general’s office will take a look

at a project. The dollar value of FEMA grants, if a community got money in the past, or a unique or out-of-the-

ordinary project can also lead to an audit, he said.

“There’s a variety of different things we use when we decide who to audit,” Kelly said.

Long Beach was hit hard by the 2012 storm when a surge of waves washed through the barrier island city, knock-

ing out power and damaging thousands of housing units, businesses and school facilities.

Long Beach schools also were badly damaged. The district has 15 separate FEMA projects worth $26.1 million in

recovery money to fix up schools, facilities and fields, according to a FEMA database.

One project — to repair an administrative building — was given a block of money up front with a fixed price,

which is not normally how FEMA disburses money, so the inspector general is taking a look. “When a federal

agency does something new, there is a higher risk that there may be some problems with it,” Kelly said.

The Long Beach audit began in late 2014. “It seems as though they’re auditing FEMA, the process and our partic-

ular case,” Long Beach schools chief operating officer Michael DeVito said. “Did FEMA follow guidelines and

are we complying with FEMA and guidelines?”

North Hempstead, which FEMA has awarded more than $36.2 million for 31 projects as of last year, is also get-

ting a closer look. Town officials said the audit concerns 14 projects totaling nearly $19.5 million and focuses on

debris removal, equipment damages, fencing issues, vehicles and affected cemeteries.

The town would not make an official available for comment because the audit is ongoing.

“We have been fully cooperative with the audit,” spokeswoman Carole Trottere said in a statement.

Jon Kaiman, who was town supervisor at the time and is now Long Island’s recovery czar for the Governor’s Office

of Storm Recovery, said he has not been contacted by auditors.

“I don’t believe it’s because anyone did anything wrong,” said Kaiman, who is also chairman of the Nassau Interim

Finance Authority overseeing county spending. “It could be that they’re arbitrarily taking some communities and

looking. There’s constant, constant auditing and inspections of storm recovery stuff.”

Kelly could not comment specifically on the audit. “We are just working with the town concerning some of our obser-

vations,” he said.

Brooklyn Diocese spokeswoman Rocío Fidalgo at first said the organization had applied for FEMA money, but had

not yet been approved, and later declined to comment.

Federal records online show that as of November, FEMA has awarded the diocese and affiliates more than $5.5 mil-

lion in Sandy recovery money for 24 separate projects. The diocese covers Brooklyn and Queens.

Each of the audits will be publicly released, Kelly said. Annual audits of FEMA also occur.

In September, the inspector general’s office found that in fiscal 2014, an estimated $971.7 million of $3.4 billion in

Sandy recovery aid nationally that was audited may have been improperly spent in public assistance and hazard miti-

gation grants issued by FEMA. Of that amount, FEMA took back or did not agree to fund $43.6 million, or 4.5 per-

cent of what the inspector general’s office flagged.

“We continue to find problems with grant management, ineligible and unsupported costs, and noncompliance with

federal contracting requirements,” the report said. “A new significant issue this year is unused funding that could be

put to better use.”

Before Sandy, auditors examined projects after they finished, but the inspector general’s office now evaluates them

while they are ongoing to prevent mistakes or improper payments before they happen, Kelly said. Getting money back

after big projects can be tough on a community’s budget and sometimes can’t always be recouped.

“In the past, we would just come in after the money was spent and say it was misspent,” Kelly said. “Unfortunately,

the federal taxpayer doesn’t benefit from that.”

If fraud or other illegal activity is discovered, the case is turned over to the legal system.

ARTICLE CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

CERT Basic Course

The Next CERT Basic Course will Start on February, 9th 2016

Sign ups are ongoing—call the office with any questions.

[email protected]

(Current CERT Members may attend any class as a refresher)

PAGE 11

Division 1

Division Supervisor -

Bill Pavone

[email protected]

Division 2


Judi Ryan

[email protected]

Division 3


Dave Nieri

[email protected]

Division 4


Acheson Wilson

[email protected]

Division 5 - Campus CERT


Stephanie Gobbo

[email protected]

CERT Director CERT Deputy Director

James Kane Eric Zausner

[email protected] ezausner@nassaucountyny,gov

“Never doubt that a small group of

thoughtful, committed citizens can

change the world; indeed, it's the

only thing that ever has.”

-Margaret Mead

CERT Section Chiefs

Jerry Barnett Paul Shapiro Jeffrey Sliva David Sobolow

Logistics Operations Planning Admin/Finance

Deadline for submission of

articles, photos and news for

the next CERT Newsletter is :

February 20th.






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edward p. mangano cert all-member monthly...

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