As we begin 2021, I wish you and your family a joyful, healthy, and safe New Year.

In the meantime, we are putting the final touches on multiple virtual events in January, including our first member meeting, public session, and skills refresher of the year. In addition to providing members with educational opportunities, all three events are 2021 Active Responder qualifying events. Non-members, be sure to check out the COVID-19 Scams event below and register to receive login information.

The first Member Meeting of the new year is set for Jan. 13 at 7 PM with guest speaker Daniel Noah from the National Weather Service. Dan's original presentation in November was postponed due to Tropical Storm Eta.

Join us as Dan presents "2020: A Record Breaking Hurricane Season." He'll share NWS's reactions to the hurricanes of 2020 and predictions for the 2021 hurricane season. We'll also introduce some of the new LWR CERT activation changes in the works based on member feedback after Eta.

Members need to RSVP to receive login information. This is a 2021 Active Responder Qualifying Event

The first Skills Refresher of the year is set for Wednesday, Jan. 21 from 6:30-8:30 PM and is a virtual event where attending members will be among the first to hear about the LWR CERT updated activation process.

During this session, we will review LWR CERT's activation during Tropical Storm Eta; what worked, including some great successes; what did we learn; and where we are looking to make some changes based on feedback received from members.

This is an opportunity for you to participate and refresh your knowledge and skills based on the experiences of a real event rather than the many practice sessions we have had. There will be time for Q&A during and at the end of the session, too.

Members need to RSVP to receive login information. This is a 2021 Active Responder Qualifying Event

Due to the overwhelming response to our Jan. 25 virtual COVID-19 Scams event in conjunction with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, LWR CERT is adding a second event on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 7 PM. The Feb. 10 event will cover the same information shared on Jan. 25, so there is no need to register for both.

If you have not already registered for the Jan. 25 event and want to learn how to detect and avoid COVID-19 scams while keeping your family safe and healthy in 2021, RSVP below to register for the Feb. 10 session.

During a recent interview, LWR CERT Vice President Jan Kuhn shared recommendations on how to successfully work from home. Jan, a retired licensed clinical social worker of 21 years, shared tips on mental and physical resilience in The Observer Health Matters December issue.

You may recall Jan's resilience insights presentation at the LWR CERT Sept. member meeting received so many kudos, it was turned into a pdf document (you can access that pdf here.)

According to Jan, the key to maintaining good mental health while working from home is ensuring there is separation between working and leisure. Jan also suggests separating education from home life and having parents separate their workspaces from where their children are learning at home to help minimize distractions.

Click here or on the graphic above to read the full Observer article.

Pat Knowles, Logistics Manager, thanks all for their participation in the Team Kit Return. The teamwork made it all so much easier. More than 90% of the Team Kits were returned during the Saturday Dec. 4 event.

It was also nice to see so many of you in person again. Unfortunately, we did not get to see Rich Raymond because he was stationed at our former storage facility. Rich reported only one re-route save of a TC who showed up at the old location. Members working the Team Kit Return at the new storage facility included (from left) Karen Emanuelson, Patt Staley, Mike Staley, Pat Knowles, Mel Davis, Jim Emanuelson, and Tim Sherer.

Happy January birthday to members Eileen Cashbaugh, Margaret Davis, Deb Diven, Lou Goodman, Dennis Johnson, Judith Johnson, Pat Knowles, Bill Leatham, Michael Mirwald, John Oakes, Preston Olinger, Sandra Rettew, Mike Runci, Jan Runci, and John Waggett.

Alert Manatee - Reminder: Manatee County has changed their emergency alert system. CodeRED is no longer in operation. Click here to sign up for Alert Manatee to learn more and to receive notifications from government and public safety officials.

FEMA Webinars - Did you know that FEMA offers free preparedness webinars on topics ranging from hurricanes and coronavirus to finances and cybersecurity? Click here to check out the complete list of online topics including Helping Children Cope During COVID-19, You Are The Help Until Help Arrives, and Animal Emergency Preparedness: Planning for Your Pets During Natural Disasters.