Frequently Asked Questions

CERT Okanogan County

 

I took the CERT training in another city. Can I participate in Okanogan County CERT events?

 

Yes, fax a copy of your CERT certificate and also a completed Emergency Worker Registration Card to 509-422-7217, and you can participate in anything we do.  Form available on our website:  www.okanogandem.org.

 

I missed one CERT class. Can I make it up?

If you miss a class, you can go to any other class to make it up.

 

 I just moved/will move soon. Who do I send my address update to?

If you need to update your address, phone or email, contact EMD at 509-422-7206 or update us thru our website:  www.okanogandem.org.

 

 Where can I get a CERT ID?

CERT picture ID cards are created by the EMD office upon completion of the class.

 

Sometimes, after a disaster, responding charities request only cash donations. Why? Don't they need blankets and groceries too?


For the answer, we turned to the American Red Cross donations site, and this is their recommendation:

"The Red Cross is unable to accept small, individual donations or collections of items such as clothing, food or cleaning supplies. The cost to sort, package and distribute these types of donations to a disaster victim is almost always greater than the cost of purchasing the items locally, and it is logistically impossible to distribute a wide variety of individual items in a meaningful way. Because of these cost and logistical concerns, we recommend that you support your community by donating these items to an organization that is equipped to put them to the best possible local use."

 

It is close to the Daylight Savings to Standard (or vice versa) time change and I need to replace my stored water. How much bleach do I put in per gallon to keep the water safe?


The ideal method of preserving water is to use one of the commercial water stabilizers available from suppliers such as SOS Survival Products in Van Nuys; or at Major Surplus & Survival in Gardena. These special water stabilizers will last up to 5 years, which takes a lot of the worry out of when to change the water. But that was not the question, was it?

The formula given by the DPS is 8 drops of unscented bleach per gallon or one teaspoon of unscented bleach per 5 gallons water.  


Some people have reported that they can only find Ultra bleaches in their stores. Clorox Consumer Services has informed us that "Ultra Regular CLOROX liquid bleach can be used to purify water. The proportions have not changed from Regular CLOROX liquid bleach for this application."