Caught in a Disaster? Your Rescuer Might Be an Amateur

On Sept. 19, 1985, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Mexico City, collapsing more than 400 buildings and killing thousands of people. Immediately following the quake, people poured into the streets, trying to extricate trapped civilians and attend to wounded victims.Volunteers saved an estimated 700 lives following the natural disaster, said Natalie Enclade, director of the individual and community preparedness division at FEMA.But their lack of training also led them into dangerous situations. An estimated 100 volunteers died trying to save others, Enclade said.Heeding the lessons of the Mexico City earthquake, the city of Los Angeles — another earthquake-prone metropolis — developed an emergency response training program for civilians.“They recognized that citizens would likely be on their own during an emergency disaster — at least at first,” Enclade said.Disasters throughout California in the following years encouraged other agencies to adopt similar programs.In 1989, for example, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake ripped through the Santa Cruz mountains about 60 miles south of the Bay Area, causing significant damage in San Francisco, including in the heavily populated and tourist-filled Marina District. As in Mexico City years earlier, volunteers — many untrained — surged outside to help.In 1993 — after other states began developing their own local programs — FEMA took notice and created the federal CERT program and a common curriculum.Over the past 25 years, CERT programs have grown from a handful to about 2,800 nationwide.