(Khallid Greene in action during Hurricane Ike) |
This is a challenge to all men.
I first had to start with myself.
At Saviours’ Day 2010 I was assigned by The Final Call Newspaper to cover most of the workshops surrounding the increasingly important subject of disaster management, preparedness, survival, search and rescue training. One of the presenters invited by Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Saviours’ Day committee was Houston’s own Captain Khallid Greene.
He launched Houston IN-CERT (Inner-City Emergency Response Team) in 2005 during Hurricane Rita, which struck within days of Hurricane Katrina. Since that time, this brother and his team has been training hundreds for free and also saving lives with what they have been teaching. Yes, saving lives while the city of Houston was stagnant. Here is a blog I wrote about them in 2008 during Hurricane Ike to prove it. (smile)
But seriously, Bro. Khallid made a statement during his Saviours’ Day workshop that hit home with me.
And the courses don’t cost us a penny.
I said, “Dang, he’s talking about me bad!”. So I said to myself I must take this training when I get back home and we as men need to man up for real. We have to stop acting like this unusual global weather pattern is something “out of the blue”. The worst is yet to come. It’s written in the scriptures but even if you choose to disregard scripture ask yourself: Is my family truly prepared for when a serious calamity hits my city? Only you can answer that.
Today I got a personal call from Officer Shandenia Gay asking me if I am going to sign up for the class. I smiled because I honestly didn’t know when the next start date was but she said it starts tomorrow (March 9). I smiled and said “well I have to accept Bro. Khallid’s challenge, so count me in.”
Here is a challenge to all men in every city. Let’s man up and take these free courses in our areas. I had a near fatal experience during Hurricane Ike by running out of gas so I know personally that this training is necessary.
I will be reporting to the SHAPE Community Center on Live Oak Street tomorrow for the beginning of a four week certification, which is a total of eight classes. There’s still a few slots left in Houston but you have to sign up today. Contact Shandenia Gay at the number on the flyer below.
Blog Bonus: Here is a YouTube video I created of IN-CERT’s working during Hurricane Ike. They are community saviours.