In preparation for submitting this suggestion, I studied the extremely dedicated work of the CERT team in my neighborhood.  Ten residents carry the load of 700 homes and approximately 2000 residents!  The average age of our CERT members is 65.  Their last training occurred in 2005; six years ago, after Hurricane Wilma caused havoc here.  It provided the urgency for the ten residents to form a CERT Team, having made them aware of the risks of living in the region, with the threat of  a much larger catastrophe. 

Our ten heroic  volunteers stand ready to help our community survive 3 days of relative isolation, but many deficiencies remain in the plan. Despite the heroic efforts of these ten visionary people, the rest of us operate pretty much in denial, of the threat.  We don’t fully understand the CERT program, nor how it works, nor do we feel seriously threatened any longer, by the dangers and the risks of a hurricane.

I think that we kid ourselves that magically, new technology will save us – but rationally, we know that that is impossible!

From this perspective, I make the following suggestions that might help all of our citizens to:

• understand the risks,
• avoid the dangers, and
• Prepare for the inevitable next catastrophic event.

In studying the CERT program in my community, I have the following ideas relating to strategies that might create additional participation in the excellent but under supported program:

• I believe that the problem with the CERT program is a matter of scale.  In the case of my community, there are 700 homes. It seems that the responsibility for 700 homes, seems an ominous challenge to all but 10 visionaries in my community.
• Let’s say for a moment, that I thought of my community size as 3 homes, rather than 700.  That makes me feel much more comfortable.  The thought of taking responsibility for 3 homes here, seems plausible, not ominous.  In fact, I am ready to commit to doing my part to take responsibility for 3 nearby homes, even if power is out, water is off, the streets are flooded, and there are age, health issues, and pets, in 2 of the 3 homes!
• I’ll bet that at least 1 of 3 people feel the same way that I do!  If my numbers are correct, the neighborhood is covered, not just our 700 homes, but the country! 
• What will my responsibility be to the CERT Program?  From what I know, I will need to plan in advance for supplies, at each of the 3 homes, and of course, my own!  I will need to immediately check on the wellbeing of my 3 families, check on the 3 structures, and take that information to our neighborhood CERT coordinator as soon as physically possible.
• This will reduce the load on the CERT Coordinator, so that he can tend to the injured in the community, complete his report to the nearby fire department, and return to his home to deal with his personal responsibilities.

I can imagine a FEMA website where any resident in any community across the country, can register to take catastrophic event responsibility for specific neighbors within a short walk of their home.  One must remember that during a catastrophe, all infrastructure could be down, only leaving ones feet to take him to his neighbor’s home (no phones can be assumed to work, no lights, no cars, perhaps line-of-sight walky-talkies might work)!  That registration website could send confidential neighborhood data to the nearest CERT Team, to incorporate into their plan.  Training could be simple and on-line.  Homes not registered within a ‘cluster’, could be earmarked and suggested to people wanting to register but without prior commitments. Multiple responsible neighbors should be permitted to register as a back-up if someone is already in a ‘cluster’.  Homes without a registered concerned neighbor might be sent a note, and encouraged to find one.  I imagine that this website could be constructed by FEMA with its  architecture modeled after Facebook or LinkedIn.

Good luck FEMA, and remember that I probably represent 1 of 3 residents in this great country, and 700 homes is entirely too much for me to take responsibility for! 700 homes congers up more fear in me,  than a hurricane!