Morrisey honors Upshur flood relief volunteer
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BUCKHANNON - The governor of West Virginia came to Upshur County to publicly present a certificate of recognition to a local volunteer in honor of her work in providing relief after the deadly July 21 flooding.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey recognized Tammie Strong, a volunteer with the Upshur County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program, on-field before the Buckhannon-Upshur High School vs. Fairmont Senior football game Oct. 2.
Morrisey praised Strong for "going above and beyond the call of duty to help her community in the days following the July flooding in Upshur County," a social media post by the governor states.
Strong said she accepted the recognition on behalf of the entire Upshur County CERT team.
"All the emotions! I am deeply honored and humbled by this recognition from Governor Morrisey!," Storng posted on social media. "While my name is on the award, this was truly a team effort.
"The Upshur County CERT team worked tirelessly alongside our amazing first responders, volunteers, and community members during the July floods. I'm so proud to serve alongside such incredible people, and we will continue doing the greatest good for Upshur County!"
Morrisey also flipped the coin at midfield before the game.
"Friday night football is about more than what happens on the field. It's about the students, families and community members who make places like Buckhannon special," the governor stated on social media.
The Upshur County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program educates and trains people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area, and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization and disaster medical operations.
"Using the training learned in the classroom and during exercises, CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help," an Upshur County CERT social media post states.
"CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community."
Anyone interested in becoming an Upshur County CERT volunteer may contact Upshur County CERT by email at: dhsem@upshurcounty.org. If interested, please provide your name, address, phone number(s), and email address. Officials will hold your information until there are enough people interested in becoming CERT members, when they will schedule a class and contact you with the information.
Applicants are required to be a resident of Upshur County, and to attend all three days of scheduled CERT training. Training is normally scheduled on a Tuesday and Thursday evening from 6-9:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to around 4-5 p.m.
The class is free and participants will become CERT certified and assigned to a local CERT team. CERT members will be called upon to respond in disasters, emergencies and local events as requested.