The key to responding to a disaster is being ready. In Elmore County that responsibility falls on the Elmore County Emergency Management Agency.
Its efforts in being ready for any future disaster was rewarded recently at the 2025 Alabama Association of Emergency Managers conference with the 2024-2025 Preparedness Program of the Year Award for medium-sized counties. It’s an award given to a program that has developed a structure in preparing for disasters.
“It shows we are a well prepared county,” Elmore County EMA director Keith Barnett said. “I think it relates to our success with CERT training. That success is directly related to the efforts of Bethany Elliot.”
Barnett said Elliot organized efforts over the last year to train two different adult CERT teams and two different CERT teams through JROTC programs in Elmore County.
“It started with one in JROTC,” Barnett said. “It was so successful we did another.”
The two classes combined to create more than 100 students who are CERT certified.
“They were really engaged and enjoyed it,” Barnett said.
The Elmore County Commission gives the Elmore County EMA funds to purchase readiness backpacks.
“The backpacks are the beginning of being ready for a disaster,” Barnett said. “It gets them started on their preparedness journey.”
Many of the programs Elmore County EMA provides the general public with knowledge to be prepared for a disaster.
“Everyone should be able to sustain on what they have for a few days,” Barnett said. “Hopefully it won’t but it could take that long for help to get there in a major disaster.”
