(Atlanta) — The Hazard Mitigation Division of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) is pleased to announce the approval of the Pulaski County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan update.  The plan is approved for a period of five (5) years.  The Pulaski County plan is the first to be approved in this new cycle of plan updates.

“I would like to commend Pulaski County and all the participants who took part in the development of the Pulaski County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan,” said Charley English, GEMA Director. “With this approval, Pulaski County is now an eligible applicant for hazard mitigation assistance grants to implement activities identified in their plan.  These activities will help reduce the loss of life and property by lessening the impact of natural disasters.”

Hazard Mitigation is basically any sustained action taken by state or local governments to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to its citizens and property from natural hazards.  Examples of mitigation activities that can be funded through hazard mitigation assistance grants include the purchase or development of warning systems, construction of safe rooms, property acquisition of flood prone structures, storm water management improvements, retrofitting methods such as elevation, relocation, or structural reinforcement, and the development or update of mitigation plans. 

For more information on Georgia Hazard Mitigation plans or the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, call GEMA toll-free at 1-800-TRY-GEMA or visit www.gema.ga.gov 

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Post Office Box 18055 - Atlanta, Georgia 30316-0055
Phone (404) 635-7000 or toll-free in Georgia 1-800-TRY-GEMA - Fax (404)635-7205
www.gema.ga.gov
www.ready.ga.gov
www.georgia911.org

(Atlanta) — The Hazard Mitigation Division of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) is pleased to announce the approval of the Harris County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan.  The plan is approved for a period of five (5) years.  This brings the total number of approved local plans to 159. Currently, the approved plans cover approximately 9.6 million people or 100% of the states’ population.

  “I would like to commend Harris County and all the participants who took part in the development of the Harris County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan,” said Charley English, GEMA Director. “With this approval, Harris County is now an eligible applicant for hazard mitigation assistance grants to implement activities identified in their plan.  These activities will help reduce the loss of life and property by lessening the impact of natural disasters.”

Post Office Box 18055 - Atlanta, Georgia 30316-0055
Phone (404) 635-7000 or toll-free in Georgia 1-800-TRY-GEMA - Fax (404)635-7205
www.gema.ga.gov
www.ready.ga.gov
www.georgia911.org

(Brunswick,Ga.) -- State, local and federal officials met here Friday to discuss response plans for any potential threat to Georgia from the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Emergency management agency (EMA) directors from Georgia's six coastal counties (Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty, McIntosh), as well as representatives from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Georgia Emergency Management Agency, United States Coast Guard (USCG), Senator Saxby Chambliss' office and Congressman Jack Kingston's office received briefings on current status of the Deepwater Horizon incident. They also discussed scientific data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Georgia Sea Grant Program.

The consensus of the USCG, the lead federal agency for the spill, and DNR's Coastal Resources Division, the lead state agency for oil spill response along the Georgia coast, is that the likelihood of oil currently

in the Gulf of Mexico directly impacting coastal Georgia is low. However, if it does directly impact Georgia, it will not be as significant as what the Gulf Coast states are experiencing.

Daily overflights and foot patrols on barrier island beaches, along with participation in three daily Deepwater Horizon Unified Command briefings by state, local, and federal officials in Georgia, prompted them to say these enhanced, daily monitoring efforts will prevent "oil from sneaking up on us."

Glynn County EMA hosted the meeting at Glynn County's Public Safety Center.

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Post Office Box 18055 - Atlanta, Georgia 30316-0055
Phone (404) 635-7000 or toll-free in Georgia 1-800-TRY-GEMA - Fax (404)635-7205
www.gema.ga.gov
www.ready.ga.gov
www.georgia911.org

(ATLANTA) – The Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) is conducting its biennial hurricane exercise (HURREX) which simulates the landfall of a catastrophic hurricane along the Georgia coast.

More than 400 personnel from state, local and volunteer organizations and the private sector are taking part in the drill which will simulate pre-landfall, post-landfall and demobilization activities associated with the simulated hurricane. The exercise incorporates the role of all 15 emergency support functions (ESFs) which range from transportation to mass care to public health to law enforcement.

“Georgia is highly vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms, and we could face an unusually active season,” says GEMA Director Charley English. “This exercise is critical to our ability to respond quickly and effectively in the event of a tropical weather disaster.”

GEMA’s State Operations Center (SOC) in southeast Atlanta is activated for the drill, and parts of the exercise are also being conduced at four sites in Savannah, Forsyth and Dublin.

The “Hurricane Soffie” exercise is a three-day program that runs June 28-30, and simulates a Category 4 storm making landfall near St. Mary’s in Camden County.

The purpose of the exercise is to demonstrate the state’s ability to simultaneously set up, staff and operate SOC functions in Atlantaand support services at the logistics staging area in Forsyth, the processing center in Dublin, and the base-of-operations and aviation support operations center in Savannah.

GEMA planners will draft an “after action” report to evaluate the exercise and determine the strengths and weakness of the state’s disaster response capabilities.

In addition to GEMA, other agencies participating include: Georgia State Patrol, Georgia State University, Civil Air Patrol, Department of Community Health, Department of Juvenile Justice, Red Cross, City of Atlanta Department of Aviation, Georgia Department of Agriculture, Department of Human Services, Georgia Technology Authority, Georgia Mutual Aid Group, Department of Natural Resources, Georgia National Guard, Georgia State Defense Force, Georgia Forestry Commission, Amateur Radio Emergency Services, Department of Administrative Services, Georgia Transmission Corp., Georgia Department of Transportation, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Savannah Fire Department, Chatham County, Laurens County, Banks County and Habersham County Emergency Management Agencies, multi-agency Georgia Search and Rescue (GSAR) teams, and several private businesses.

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Post Office Box 18055 - Atlanta, Georgia 30316-0055
Phone (404) 635-7000 or toll-free in Georgia 1-800-TRY-GEMA - Fax (404)635-7205
www.gema.ga.gov
www.ready.ga.gov
www.georgia911.org

(ATLANTA)--The State of Georgia and local governments are eligible to apply for funding through the Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) competitive grant program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, according to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA). The grant program includes Pre-Disaster Mitigation, Flood Mitigation Assistance, Repetitive Flood Claims and Severe Repetitive Loss Programs. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides funds through these programs on a nationally competitive basis to implement hazard mitigation measures that reduce losses of life and property damage caused by natural disasters.

Local governments must have a FEMA approved hazard mitigation plan in order to be eligible to receive a project grant. Pre-applications are required by August 16, 2010, for all proposed project grants. GEMA has posted additional information on the grant application process at www.gema.ga.gov/.

“Our goal is to help local governments’ secure federal hazard mitigation assistance funds that will help protect our Georgia citizens from future disaster events,” said GEMA Director Charley English. “We encourage local governments to review their local mitigation plans and determine their most important mitigation needs to take advantage of this federal funding opportunity. Implementing these local mitigation projects will ultimately make for a safer Georgia.”

For further questions, please contact GEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Division at 1-800-TRY-GEMA or 404-635-7522.

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Post Office Box 18055 - Atlanta, Georgia 30316-0055
Phone (404) 635-7000 or toll-free in Georgia 1-800-TRY-GEMA - Fax (404)635-7205
www.gema.ga.gov
www.ready.ga.gov
www.georgia911.org

The school year just ended, and already officials are working to make next year safer for Georgia’s more than 1.6 million students. Although schools remain relatively safe, students face a variety of risks, from tornadoes and other natural disasters to the threat of an intruder on campus. Moreover, it seems like every day there is news about a violent episode on a campus, which raises concerns for our children and the safety of their school. Therefore, it is imperative that Georgia schools are prepared to face any crisis.

That’s why the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), in partnership with the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office -- Middle District of Georgia and the Byron Police Department presented, “Safety In Our Schools: Education, Prevention, and Management” on June 8-10, 2010, at the Byron Municipal Complex in Byron, Ga. More than 300 education professionals, emergency managers and public safety personnel heard from school safety experts on how to handle natural and man-made threats during 11 workshops that covered a range of issues, including severe weather, school violence and cybersafety.

“Whether it’s an act of violence or a natural disaster, school safety affects the entire community,” says GEMA/Homeland Security Director Charley English. “The lessons learned at this conference will enable school leaders and law enforcement to better plan for and respond to any emergency.”

Nicole Nowlen, a Columbine High School shooting survivor, shared her experiences at the opening session. Other speakers included FBI Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Kevin L. Foust, who investigated the Virginia Tech shooting, and Enterprise High School Principal Rick Rainer, who described the response to and recovery from the EF-4 tornado that devastated the building and claimed eight lives on March 1, 2007.

GEMA’s School Safety Unit provides services that help schools have a safe and secure school year. GEMA’s school safety coordinators offer training and technical assistance to educators, emergency management and public safety personnel. This includes site surveys and safety audits and classes on weapons screening, school bus safety, gangs, bullying, exercise design and bomb threat management. They also respond to school crises. For more information on school safety or GEMA’s School Safety Unit, call GEMA at (404) 635-7000 or visit www.gema.ga.gov. For more information on specific risks in your area and how to prepare for them, contact your local emergency management agency and visit www.ready.ga.gov.

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Post Office Box 18055 - Atlanta, Georgia 30316-0055
Phone (404) 635-7000 or toll-free in Georgia 1-800-TRY-GEMA - Fax (404)635-7205
www.gema.ga.gov
www.ready.ga.gov
www.georgia911.org 

ATLANTA — The Hazard Mitigation Division of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) is pleased to announce the approval of the Meriwether County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan.  The plan is approved for a period of five years.  This brings the total number of approved local plans to 158 of the 159 counties in the State.  Currently, the approved plans cover approximately 9.5 million people or 99% of the states’ population.
 
”I would like to commend Meriwether County and all the participants who took part in the development of the Meriwether County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan,” said Charley English, GEMA Director. “With this approval, Meriwether County is now an eligible applicant for hazard mitigation assistance grants to implement activities identified in their plan.  These activities will help reduce the loss of life and property by lessening the impact of natural disasters.”

Hazard Mitigation is basically any sustained action taken by state or local governments to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to its citizens and property from natural hazards.  Examples of mitigation activities that can be funded through hazard mitigation assistance grants include the purchase or development of warning systems, construction of safe rooms, property acquisition of flood prone structures, storm water management improvements, retrofitting methods such as elevation, relocation, or structural reinforcement, and the development or update of mitigation plans.
 
For more information on Georgia Hazard Mitigation plans or the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, call GEMA toll-free at 1-800-TRY-GEMA or visit www.gema.ga.gov 

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Post Office Box 18055 - Atlanta, Georgia 30316-0055
Phone (404) 635-7000 or toll-free in Georgia 1-800-TRY-GEMA - Fax (404)635-7205
www.gema.ga.gov
www.ready.ga.gov
www.georgia911.org

ATLANTA — The Hazard Mitigation Division of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) is pleased to announce the approval of the Barrow County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan.  The plan is approved for a period of five (5) years.  This brings the total number of approved local plans to 157 of the 159 counties in the State.  Currently, the approved plans cover approximately 9.5 million people or 99% of the states’ population.
 
”I would like to commend Barrow County and all the participants who took part in the development of the Barrow County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan,” said Charley English, GEMA Director. “With this approval, Barrow County is now an eligible applicant for hazard mitigation assistance grants to implement activities identified in their plan.  These activities will help reduce the loss of life and property by lessening the impact of natural disasters.”

Hazard Mitigation is basically any sustained action taken by state or local governments to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to its citizens and property from natural hazards.  Examples of mitigation activities that can be funded through hazard mitigation assistance grants include the purchase or development of warning systems, construction of safe rooms, property acquisition of flood prone structures, storm water management improvements, retrofitting methods such as elevation, relocation, or structural reinforcement, and the development or update of mitigation plans. 

For more information on Georgia Hazard Mitigation plans or the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, call GEMA toll-free at 1-800-TRY-GEMA or visit
www.gema.ga.gov

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Post Office Box 18055 - Atlanta, Georgia 30316-0055
Phone (404) 635-7000 or toll-free in Georgia 1-800-TRY-GEMA - Fax (404)635-7205
www.gema.ga.gov
www.ready.ga.gov
www.georgia911.org