Auburns new emergency manager, Camille Schutze, outlines FEMA experience, CERT training and flood outreach
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Summary
Camille Schutze, introduced as Auburns Emergency Management Coordinator on the city podcast, described her FEMA background, explained individual vs. public assistance after disasters, and encouraged residents to register for CERT classes (April 20—6 June 13) and other public-education events.
Camille Schutze, the city of Auburns newly introduced Emergency Management Coordinator, described her FEMA deployments and laid out plans for local public education and volunteer training during Episode 60 of the citys "Auburn on Main" podcast.
Schutze said her FEMA work focused on external affairs and public information, acting as a liaison to local elected officials, private-sector stakeholders and community organizations. "The kinda two biggest pots of money that you'll see coming in the wake of a disaster if an emergency is declared is individual assistance and public assistance," she said, distinguishing aid intended for households from funding for infrastructure and municipal repairs.
Those distinctions matter, she said, when the city documents damage and seeks reimbursement: costs flow from city to county to the state and then to the federal level if disaster declarations and eligibility are met. Jonathan Glover, the citys communications manager and episode host, framed the recent Puget Sound-area flooding as the immediate context for the discussion and said the city has set up application and documentation processes to understand recovery costs.
Schutze also urged residents to consider volunteer training through the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, which she described as neighborhood-level training that covers light search-and-rescue techniques, recognizing hazards such as downed power lines, and basic neighborhood response. "It's just learning things like light search and rescue techniques, how to kind of manage yourself and help your neighbors in the event of an emergency," she said.
Registration for the spring CERT class is open, and the hosts listed the citys online sign-up page. The podcast gave a class window of April 20 through June 13, with weeknight sessions and a few weekend drills, and encouraged people to visit the city website to enroll.
On outreach, Schutze said the emergency management office will emphasize public education at community events such as the farmers market and Petalooza, staffing booths and distributing preparedness materials. "We're really focusing a lot on public education," she said, adding that staff and volunteers will be out at a range of city events to meet residents and provide preparedness tips.
The podcast conversation closed with the hosts thanking Schutze and inviting future check-ins about public outreach and preparedness progress.
Next step: residents seeking CERT enrollment or information on recovery assistance were directed to the citys official site and event pages for dates, registration and guidance.
