Chair's Message

On behalf of CERN, I welcome you to our site, which has a wealth of information on being prepared for emergencies individually, within neighborhoods and for businesses.

The Howard County Community Emergency Response Network (CERN) is a public private partnership of first responders, nonprofit leaders and others, with a mission to enhance community resilience through emergency preparedness.  Community resilience depends on knowledge, prior planning, taking reasonable precautions, and citizens helping one another. 

Located between Washington, DC and Baltimore, Howard County could feel the potential impacts from those two communities as well as our own during both man-made and natural disasters.  CERN members believe that a community that shares information, thinks creatively, fosters joint planning, and trains together will have an advantage before, during and after such an event. 

The goals for CERN are to make sure that:

• The community is educated, practiced and prepared to shelter in place for 14 days.
  
  
• Businesses, including non-profits, are prepared with a “Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)”.
  
  
• A valued core of citizen volunteers is trained to respond effectively and can be mobilized.
  
  
• CERN's Community Resource Team will be a resource to the county's EOC and a link to citizens and business.
  
  
• Faith-based organizations have created an internal response plan and are involved in helping their congregants and the wider community in emergency situations.

CERN stands ready to collaborate with others as we work to improve the readiness and resilience of our community. 

Mary D. Lasky
Chairman