After seeing some of the horrific images coming out of Haiti, I started asking myself this question. Actually, the first question I asked was, “How do I get on a plane to Haiti?” After some research, it turns out experience is usually required before they will put you on a plane and air drop you into a disaster relief effort. Then I found myself wondering what I could do the next time something like this happens. It turns out there is a great book that answers a lot of these questions!

I read Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life by Neil Strauss earlier this year and its a great resource for anyone looking for more information about what to do when all hell breaks loose. In the book, Niel highlights Community Emergency Responder Training (CERT). CERT was developed by the Los Angeles disaster management office and now is used by FEMA to train local emergency responders all over the country. My friend Will and I are now signed up for the local CERT class over the next two weekends. I’m really excited about this and I’ll have to do a post about how it goes. I might be a long way from drop shipping to a international disaster relief effort, but at least it is a first step. If you have a couple free Saturdays and are interested in finding out about how you can register for CERT click here.