www.Ready.GA.gov

www.Ready.GA.gov

State of the Emergency

• Georgia is at risk natural disasters:• Severe thunderstorms, lightning,

tornadoes and flooding• Tropical storms and hurricanes• Drought• Wildfires• Winter weather

Ice storms Snow storms

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State of the Emergency

• Georgia also is at risk for man-made and biological disasters• Chemical spills• Terrorist attacks

In June 2009, a college student was convicted of conspiring to provide material support for terrorism and was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison

• Pandemics

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Why Prepare?

www.Ready.GA.gov

EMA is Here to Help

• Every county has an EMA director• EMA's mission is to provide a comprehensive

and aggressive all-hazards approach to mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery

• The purpose is to protect life and property and to prevent and reduce the negative impact of natural and man-made events in Georgia

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Government Can Help, But …

Preparedness begins with you.

You must be your own first responder.

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Are You Ready?

• What would you do if there was a gas main break in your neighborhood in the middle of the night and you had to evacuate immediately? Would you be ready? This happened in Smyrna in January 2010, when 125 residents were evacuated at 11:30 p.m.

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Are you Ready?

• What would happen if a chemical fire ignited in your community at 4:30 p.m. and you couldn’t leave home for three days. Could you survive?

Question

• Do you know how long you should be prepared to survive on your own?

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Answer

• Three days

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www.Ready.GA.gov

Goal of Ready Georgia

• Educates and empowers Georgians to survive for at least 72 hours on their own in an emergency with three steps:• Get a kit• Make a plan• Be informed

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Get a Kit

• Recommended items:• Water, one gallon of water per

person per day for at least three days

• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food

• Flashlight and extra batteries• Battery-powered or hand

crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with extra batteries for both

• Special items for infant, elderly or disabled family members and pets

Extra Items for Ready Kit

• Extra pair of eyeglasses, batteries for hearing aid, etc.• Copies of your prescriptions• Emergency supply of prescription medications (if

possible, if not, talk to your doctor)• Copies of important documents such as medical

insurance and Medicare cards, family records, medical records, wills, deeds, social security number and tax records

• If you undergo routine treatments at a clinic or hospital or if you receive home services, talk to your service provider about their emergency plans

www.Ready.GA.gov

Tips to Prepare on a Budget

• Buy a few items each week• Use coupons and look for things on

sale• Shop at a dollar discount store for

flashlights, batteries, a whistle, etc.• Build your own first aid kit with

items from a dollar discount store• Buying water by the gallon or

refilling soda bottles is less expensive than buying individual bottles of water

www.Ready.GA.gov

www.Ready.GA.gov

Where to Keep Your Kit

• Keep items in a plastic storage container, backpack or tote bag.

• Store your kit in a designated area and have it ready to go if needed.

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Make a Plan

• Your household may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to plan in advance• Plan places where your family will meet, both within

and outside of your immediate neighborhood• Make sure everyone knows where to go if a tornado

warning is issued (basement or interior room)• Plan how you will care for your pets in an emergency• Identify an out-of-town contact • Have redundant ways to call the emergency contact

(texting, solar/hand crank cell phone battery chargers, landline phone, car charger)

www.Ready.GA.gov

Be Informed

• Learn more about the potential emergencies that could happen where you live, how you will be notified, and the appropriate way to respond to them

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General Issues for Older Georgians/People with Disabilities

• Create a support network• Make sure they have an extra key to your home and

know where you keep your medicine. Notify them when you go out of town.

• Different disabilities may require specific preparation for an emergency. Support systems normally relied upon may be unavailable (e.g., power outage). There are many questions that need to be considered when making an emergency plan for someone with a specific need.

Ability Self-Assessment

• Sight issues: If you rely on sound clues to get around, will you be able to get yourself to safety if they are missing? (no electricity)

• Hearing issues: Do emergency alarm systems have audible and visible features? (strobes)

• Speech issues: How will you communicate if you do not have use of your usual communication device? (notes)

www.Ready.GA.gov

General Issues for Older Georgians/People with Disabilities

• How will you evacuate if an accessible vehicle is not available? Where would you go?

• Does your utility company keep a list and map of the locations of power-dependent customers in case of an emergency?

• Have you arranged to have benefits deposited electronically?

www.Ready.GA.gov

www.Ready.GA.gov

What Warning System Does Your County Use?

• Some counties use outdoor warning sirens, others may use a telephone notification system

• Each system has pros and cons

• FEMA’s wireless emergency alerts – no registration required

Question

• What is NOAA Weather radio?

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Answer

• NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts watches and warnings from the National Weather Service and information about man-made disasters, like an act of terrorism. It will wake you up in the middle of the night and give you critical minutes needed to take cover. You can buy them for about $30 at many stores.

www.Ready.GA.gov

www.Ready.GA.gov

Question

• What is the No. 1 weather-related killer in the United States?

Answer

• Heat• Based on the 10-year average

from 2000 to 2009, excessive heat claims an average of 162 lives a year.

• NEVER leave children or animals in a parked car. It can take as little as two minutes for temperatures to reach lethal levels, even in the spring and fall.

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Question

• How many inches of fast-moving water does it take to know someone off their feet?

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www.Ready.GA.gov

Answer

Six inches!• Other flood facts …

• One foot of water can float a full-size automobile. Two feet of fast-moving water can sweep it away.

• Nearly half of all flash-flood fatalities are vehicle-related, so never drive through standing water in the road. Turn around and don’t drown!

Social Media

• GEMA is on Twitter. Follow us @GeorgiaEMA

• “Like” GEMA and Ready GA on Facebook• www.facebook.com/ReadyGA• www.facebook.com/GEMA.OHS

• Watch Ready Georgia’s videos on YouTube• www.youtube.com/

ReadyGAfromGEMA

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There’s an App for That

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Android QR Code

iPhone QR Code

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Time to Take Action

• You are your family’s first line of defense• Everyone should have a plan; there’s no

reason not to• Take action: Get a kit, make a plan, be

informed• A solution: www.ready.ga.gov

www.Ready.GA.gov

Questions?