BEACH LAKE, PA — The recent regularity of extreme weather, terrorist attacks and mass shootings have convinced Americans that no place is disaster proof. From those same events, Americans have learned that preparing for the worst is the best way to minimize and recover from them, lessons Berlin Township has taken to heart.

At its December 15 monthly meeting, Berlin’s board of supervisors heard from emergency management coordinator Richard Miller about options for civilian emergency preparedness training, both online and in the classroom. Supervisor Charlie Gries told Miller that he has already taken the first step toward enrolling for online instruction: he’s applied for and received the student identification number that will allow the federal government to track his training and credentialing.

Chairman Paul Henry said that, given a choice, he’d opt for classroom training because it comes with coffee and donuts. That prompted Miller to say that classroom training has been offered only since it became apparent that some older trainees lack the computer savvy required for online courses.

Originally appointed to his unpaid position so that Berlin would be eligible to receive Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds in the wake of a disaster, Miller said he learns something new in his volunteer job every day. What he learned most recently is that the township should be documenting its assets, as one would for a homeowner’s insurance policy, with photos, detailed descriptions, appraisals, receipts and other legally acceptable documents that establish proof of value. Proof of value is the primary factor used to determine disaster aid dollar amounts.

Supervisor and roadmaster Cathy Hunt said that she now routinely takes photos of completed road rebuilding projects. In the coming year, she plans to photograph three major road rebuilding projects: Reining Road, Kratz Road and Cortese Road, courtesy of Dirt and Gravel Grant (DGG) money awarded to Berlin.

As the meeting wound down, the board voted unanimously to adopt the township’s 2016 budget (total amount unchanged from last year) as advertised and presented. Outgoing supervisor Henry ended eight years on the board, sharing hard-won wisdom regarding one of the township’s greatest challenges: road maintenance. Said Henry to his successor, supervisor-elect Rob Mahon, “The only things holding Cortese Road up are the trees leaning against one another.”

A longtime resident and former Berlin supervisor, Mahon is no stranger to the challenges that lie before him. Earlier in the meeting, it had been noted that the guardrails lining Cortese Road are badly bowed and in need of replacement. Both guardrails and road will be replaced with DGG funds, but there is much more work to be done on other roads and limited money with which to do it.