Emergency manager magazine, Summer 2000

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Emergency Manager is the official newsletter of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency
Lisa Janak, Editor
Honorable Roy E. Barnes Governor
Gary W. McConnell Director
Lisa Ray Public Affairs Director
Ken Davis Public Affairs Officer
Buzz Weiss Public Affairs Coordinator
Lisa Janak Multi-Media Coordinator
Jeff Jellets Constituent Services
Coordinator
Published by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency Post Office Box 18055 Atlanta , Georgia 30316
PHONE 1-(800)-TRY-GEMA
(404) 635-7000 FAX (404) 635-7205
Web site www.state.ga.us/GEMA
Cover photo courtesy of The Weather Channel.

From the Director
Hurricanes and Drought: A Two-Edged Sword
hi s summer, while most Georgians will be making vacati on plans, emergency managers and p ublic safety offi cials will be mak ing and updating emergency pl ans to deal with a season that is shaping up as a menac ing two-edged sword.
Forecasters are calling fo r an acti ve hurricane season with 12 named tro pica l storms, including eight hurricanes, fo ur of whi ch could be a Category 3 or hi gher. While thi s is below the number of storms that occurred in fo ur of the past fi ve years, it is above the long-term average. Last year's experience with Hurricane Floyd prov ided us with a vivid and rea li stic picture of the di ffic ulties we face in preparing for and responding to the onset of an intense hurri cane. We learned some valuabl e lessons that will clearl y help us in the future.
The other edge of the sword, of course, is the ongo ing dro ught that has held Georgia in its gri p fo r three years. The drought conditions not only prese nt a serious threat to Georgia's agricultural economy, but place the state at risk of devastating w ildfi res and fl as h floods. The supply of drin king water is also at ri sk in many communiti es.
GEMA continues to work closely and co ll aborati ve ly with other state agencies, loca l emergency mangers and the private sector to ensure that contingency pl ans are in place to mainta in publi c hea lth and safety in the fa ce of thi s situation. A lthough it was a case of too much ra in instead of not enough, Tropical Storm Alberto in 1994 provided us with significant experience in providing water to beleaguered communities, where water systems were damaged or destroyed.
It is ironic that forecas ters tell us it wo uld take a tropical storm to generate the amount of ra in needed to compensate fo r the current drought.
H istory may repeat itself thi s year, but I have no doubt that we will be ready.
S in ce re ly,

GARY W. McCONN ELL

1

Summer 2000 EMERGENCY MANAGER

Governor's Public Safety Awards Program Now Accepting Nominations
By Jonna Wheeler Special Assistant to the Director

Nominations are now being accepted for the third ann ual Governor's Public Safety Awards (GPSA) program. The awards honor professionals in Georgia's public safety community for their acts of heroism or outstanding contributions to their professions.
"Georgia's public safety officials are among the nation's best," said Governor Roy E. Barnes. "Th is program gives us the opportunity to recognize the men and women in public safety who, on a daily basis, put their lives on the line for the citizens of Georgia ."
The annual awards, which recognize individuals from each discipline of public safety as well as state employees with pub lic safety authority, are divided into two categories:
"Act of Heroism" recognizes those who performed an exceptiona l deed that resulted in saving Jives and/or protecting property.
"Outstanding Contribution to Profession" recognizes job performance that had an overwhelming positive affect on the overall profession.

The GPSA monument was dedicated in 1998 and is engraved with the names of award recipients.
According to GPSA Committee Chairman Gary W. McConnel l, the program is well received by the public safety community. "These awards give us the opportunity to acknowledge the dedi cated service of the individuals who place the safety of others ahead of their own," he said.

Personnel from the following local

governments and state agencies are

eligible: emergency management,

emergency medical services, 9-l- l

operators, fire departments, police

departments, sheriffs offices, Department

of Corrections , Department of Defense,

Department of Human Resources/

Emergency

Medical

Services,

Department of Natural Resources,

Department of Public Safety, Department

of Transportat io n, Georgia Board of

Pardons and Paroles, Georgia Bureau of

Investigation, Georgia Emergency

Manage ment Agency, Georg ia Public

Safety Training Center, Georgia Public

Service Comm ission a nd Prosecuting

Attorney's Counci l.

In 1999, 23 award recipients from

throughout Georg ia were honored and

recognized at the GPSA ceremony. Thi s

year's event wi ll be October 25 at the

Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth.

Those wishing to submit nominations for

the awards should contact their respective

public safety association or GEMA for

more information.



Search and Rescue Dog Bill Signed Into Law
Governor Roy E. Sames (seated) slgns House Bill 1311 into law in ceremonies held recent/yin his office at the State Capitol. The bill, requested by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and sponsored by RepresentatiYe Curtis Jenkins of Forsyth, wlff set training standards for private search and rescue (SAR) dog teams in Georgia and create a registry ofthose teams. Also pictured (l,r) ({re: GEMA Public Affairs Coordinator Buzz. Weiss; GEMA 'Exercise Training Officer Tracy Sargent and her search dog, Brooke; Senator Sonny Huggins of LaFayette, who handled the bill in the Senate; GEMA Director Gaty McConnell; and Representative Jenkins.

EMERGENCY MANAGER Summer 2000

2

Exceptional EMAs
GEMA Salutes Ann Lamb for Tornado Response

G eorgia's emergency management agency directors must be prepared for any potential crisis, including terrorism, hazardous materials and radiological incidents, and severe weather. However, when devastating tornadoes touched down in southwest Georgia in the early morning hours on Valentine's Day, Mitchell County Emergency Management Agency Director An n Lamb faced the biggest challenge of her career.
Although Lamb has been director of the county's emerge ncy management agency s ince 1986, she was most common ly associated with her other occ upation as emergency medical services (EMS) director. That changed after the tornadoes hit. "Everyone wears more than one hat around here, and I am more visible as the EMS director. I go on calls when needed, maybe two or three times a month ." says Lamb. "The EMA director was out of sight, out of mind until the tornadoes struck. Then I became very popular."
Lamb was awakened at approximately l l :30 p.m. by an urgent ca ll from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) alerting her to a tornado warning. Extreme winds had already downed the county's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio tower and power lines, and Lamb rushed to the station in darkness.

Five minutes after she arrived at work, her husband called. Their house had taken a direct hit from the tornado, he said. Her fami ly was safe, but her home was damaged and her husband's workshop was destroyed.
Lamb had to put aside her persona l tragedy at that time, however, and direct Mitchell County's emergency services. Already the station was receiv in g requests for ambul ance service in response to a "possible tornado touchdown" on Research Road. Uni ts were dispatched to that location as well as the Royal Heights neighborhood where her home was located. Soon, the 911 tone that alerts the service to calls was sounding continuously.
All of Mitchell County's ambul ance units were dispatched. Soon, rescue units began arriving from other counties as Lamb frantica ll y tracked the areas to which companies were responding. "A mbulances would pull up in the backyard and open up the back doors. I would just throw the bandages and supplies in and they wou ld take off," says Lamb. Mitchell County EMS transported 75 people that night. "The hospital looked like a war zone."
By l:OO a.m. Deral Dukes, GEMA Area 2 Coordi nator, was in Mitchell County to assist with response efforts, and GEMA's mobile command vehicle (MCV) had been deployed . With comm u-

Mitchell County was devastated when deadly tornadoes struck in the early morning hours of Valentine's Day. 3

nications still

out, it was dif-

ficult to assess

the damage at

first. "B ut by

3:00 or 4:00 in

the morning

we realized

how big a mess

there was,"

says Lamb.

A command post was

Mitchell County EMA Director Ann Lamb

establi shed in

the MCV, and vital comm unications were

reestabli shed by 6:00 a.m . Hundreds of

state personnel and volunteers began to

pour into the area to assist with debris

removal and other recovery efforts. Lamb

stayed up for two days straight helping to

coord inate the response. When she finally

did leave, she had to cope with her dam-

aged home and the personal effects of the

disaster.

Lamb can not remember eating or

s leeping that first week after the

tornadoes struck. "I have a different

perspective on disaster," she says. 'This

was our first major event, and it was all

over in I 0 minutes. We blew the sirens,

but there was very little warning."

Mitchell County continues to recoup.

"We're wading through paperwork and

rebuilding, trying to get back to normal,"

says Lamb. Her fami ly also is

recuperating. Repairs to her home are

scheduled to be complete thi s summer.

Lamb sees herself not as a victim, but as

a survivor.

Mitchell County had never before

experienced a catastroph ic event of this

magnitude. In recogn1t1on for its

outstanding work, the Mitchell County

Emergency Medical Services was named

"EMS of the Year for Region 8 in

Georgia" by the Region 8 Council in

April. It also was awarded the Council's

first Service Medal of Valor "for

assistance rendered above and beyond the

normal call of duty during the Valentine's

Day 2000 tornadoes. " - Lisa Janak

Summer 2000 EMERGENCY MANAGER

In Brief ,

,

Rescue on the Appalachian Trail

By Ken Davis Public Affairs Officer

B ad weather affected the northeast Georgia mountains all day Monday, April 3. Union County and surrounding areas were under a flash flood warning as heavy rains, dense fog , hail and high winds impacted the region. To further complicate matters , the National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning early that evening.
"That is when the call came in," said Blairsville-Union County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Charles Worden.
Union County 911 received an emergency call at approximately 7:00 p.m. from the Walasi-Yi Center on the Appalachian Trail that a hiker was experi encing chest pains. The call garnered the attention of emergency responders in Union and White counties because the

Appalachian Trail parallels the border between the two counties in that area. The hiker in distress and a fellow hiker were located approximately three miles on the trail at the junction of Jack's Gap Trail and the Appalachian Trail.
Blairsville-Union County EMA establi shed a command post on the road to Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia. A total of four teams were dispatched by Union County and White County authorities to rescue the hikers.
"The number of rescue teams deployed was determined by the weather and terrain. The rescuers had a three-mjJe horizontal hike with a 1,000-foot incline up and down . That is tough on a clear, sunny day, without 50 or 60 pounds of equipment. It was extremely difficult under these conditions," said Worden.

The trip down the trail was long and

slow. More than four hours after the initial

call, the patient was removed from the

Appalachian Trail and transported to

Union General Hospital. He was treated

and released two days later.

Fortunately, none of the 47 responders

were injured. "We really appreciate the

quick response and hard work that all the

response people from both counties put

into thi s rescue," said Worden.

Agencies involved in the rescue

operation included the Union County Fire

Department, Blairsville-Union County

EMA, Union County Emergency Medical

Services, Union County 911 , Union

County Sheriffs Office, White County

Rescue, White County EMS , GEMA ,

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

and the U.S. Forest Service.



Emergency Managers Achieve Master Manager Status

W hile state law requires that all county emergency managers or deputy directors who have been appointed since July l, 1999, complete the Certified Emergency Manager training program, a select few have taken the initiative to exceed this obligation. Seven emergency managers were recognized for achieving the status of Master Certified Emergency Manager on June 9 at the Georgia Emergency Management Agency's (GEMA) Contemporary Issues in Emergency Management conference in Forsyth.
The Master Certified Emergency Manager program was initiated last year to encourage local emergency managers to expand their knowledge and outreach in their local communities. To achieve the Master Certified Emergency Manager status, applicants not only must complete the Certified Emergency Manager program, but fulfill additional training and program development initiatives as well. Applicants also must have served a minimum of five years in an emergency management position in order to participate in the program.
''Training is an essential component in the emergency management field," says GEMA Director Gary W. McConnell. "These managers are truly an asset to Georgia." -Lisa Ray

GEMA Director Gary W. McConnell presented Master Certified Emergency Manager certificates and plaques to six county emergency managers and one area coordinator. (Left to right) Ware CountyEMA DirectorJack Hobbs, Forsyth County EMA DirectorRobert M. Lady, Sr.; Carroll County EMA Director Tim Padgett; GEMA Director Gary W.. McConnell; retired Covington-Newton County EMA Director Newt. S. Biggers; Thomaston-Upson County EMA Operations Officer Harry J. Thiel Ill; GEMA Area I Field Coordinator Jack F. Scott; and Blairsville-Union County EMA Director Charles G. Worden.

EMERGENCY MANAGER Summer 2000

4

GEMA School Safety Coordinator
Recounts School Bus-Train Tragedy
By Sonayia Shepherd Area School Safety Coordinator

0 ne of the worst tragedies that the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) School Safety Project has ever responded to occurred on April 28. Three children were killed and four were injured when a train collided with a Murray County school bus. This accident would change the lives of many people in this remote rural area of northwest Georgia.
The whirlwind of events began north of the Tennga comm unity, just across the Tennessee state line. At approximately 7:00 a.m., a train hit a school bus that was transporting students to Northwest Elementary School. The Murray County Emergency Management Agency requested ass istance immediately, and Georgia and Tennessee officials as well as federal agencies responded to the ca ll.
The first priority was to establ ish communication between the accident site and the school. Many anx ious parents rushed to Northwest Elementary School wondering if their child was a victim. Teachers and other bus drivers a lso were frantically searching for information.
At this point, schoo l offic ials knew that their cris is plan had to go into effect. Information had to be disseminated quickly and accurately. A press release was drafted, and a news conference was quickly scheduled. The media proved to be a useful and va luable tool for informing the community.
The school system designated a public information officer to provide the who, what, when, where, why and how of the disaster to the comm unity. She ass ured everyone that the response efforts were goi ng smoothl y, offered condolences and answered questions. GEMA's public affa irs office ass isted the school system in dealing with the unprecedented number of media inquiries from loca l and national news organ izations . Having one single point of contact for the press prevented the spread of rum o rs and co nfli ctin g information.

Three children were killed and four were injured when a freight train haulingautomobiles tore a school bus off its wheels in a collision at an unprotected rural crossing. The Mu"ay County school bus was transporting students to Northwest Elementary School, but had traveled 100 feet into Tennessee to turn around.

5

Summer 2000 EMERGENCY MANAGER

Public safety officials and school system employees also met that morning to exchange information and provide e motional support. People left the meeting with a little more knowledge and strength to get through the next eight hours.
Meanwhil e, the mental health response was coordinated. Counselors from surrounding school di stricts and the American Red Cross were called in to assist. One counselor was sent to the hospital to aid the injured. More counselors were dispatched to the Northwest Ele mentary Schoo l, a nd others acco mpanied key comm unity officials.
Two of GEMA's Area School Safety Coordinators were sent to Murray County. One Area Schoo l Safety Coordinator assisted the local emergency man agement agency and the other went directly to the school offices to support the response efforts of the school system.
By noon the accident site had been secured , a news conference had been held, GEMA had arrived , the Red Cross had responded, deaths had been confirmed, counse lors had arrived, and the media were everywhere. A loca l plant had even sh ut down operations to all ow parents to leave and pick up their children.
Coun selors who were ass igned to the school set up a "drop-in" room, where children who were unab le to cope with the tragedy could receive o ne-on- one attention. Counselors also went by the classrooms to help students and teachers process their emoti ons in a group setting, while the local chapter of the American Red Cross prov ided serv ices ranging from refreshments to counseling.
The principal and an Area School Safety Coordinator strateg ically set up a media staging area on the side lawn of the school to give a suitable shot of the school without intruding on the students. T he front office staff was briefed and knew to direct all media inquiri es to the school system's public information office. Letters about the acc ident also were written and sent home with each student.
A command post was set up at a local church , and another news conference was scheduled to convey updated information . Detail s about a prayer vigil to honor the deceased were sent to those involved in the response efforts. As more information about the actual wreck was gathered, the latest developments were disseminated by the Georgia State Patrol's public information officer.

GEMA school safety coordinator Joe Adams surveys the aftermath of the collision (above). Mu"ay County school officials brief local and national news media at Northwest Elementary School in Chatsworth (below).

By 1:30 p.m., Murray County bus drivers had been given details about the acc ident and were provided with an opportunity to receive coun seling services. All personnel now knew about the accident, and substitute teachers as well as all responders were on alert.
At 2:30 p.m., school was di smissed and ad mini strators hurri ed to help students get to their buses. To ensure that the day's activities remained on course, the principal walked students to their buses and said goodbye with hi s usual sm iles and hugs. Although most of the media were content with their staging grounds, one or two reporters atte mpted to gain access to childre n and parents. The local sheriffs office helped protect the fa milies' privacy.
A counselor was stationed on each bus to reassure those stude nts who were apprehensive about riding home. More counselors were sent to the homes of the injured and deceased, and others were sent to outlying schools to help siblings of those affected .
About an hour later, the school staff and counselors met in the school's media center to receive a briefing from GEMA's Area School Safety Coordinator on trau-

matic stress disorder and how to help

childre n cope with di saster. A debriefi ng

for school personnel and responders also

was arranged. Later that evening, GEMA

fac ilitated a "hotwash," an initi al incident

review.

The day fi nall y ended at 9:00 p.m.,

and res idents were left to begin the healing

process. The next days and weeks were

challenging as the com munity tried to

come to grip with the tragedy, but respon-

ders rose to the occasion. Eventually the

need fo r immed iate support decreased, but

responders were on call if needed.

All responders in thi s incident were

accepted with gratitude by this close-knit

community, and everyone worked together

to move toward the road to

recovery.

This accident was investigated by the

National Transportation and Safety Board,

the Tennessee Hi ghway Patrol and other

Tennessee state officials. On July 14, a

grand jury in Polk County, Tennessee,

indicted the school bus driver on three

counts of vehicular homicide, four counts

of reckless aggravated assault and failure

to stop a school bus at a railroad crossing.

A trial is expected next year.



EMERGENCY MANAGER Summer 2000

6

School Safety Project Reaches One Year Milestone; Appoints New Coordinators
By Karen Franklin State School Safety Coordinator

T he

Georgia

Emergency

Management Agency's (GEMA's)

School Safety Project is celebrating

its first ann iversary! T he program was

forma ll y kicked off last summer with the

passage of Senate Bill 74, which requires

every public school in Georgia to develop

a safety plan that addresses acts of violence

or terrori sm, natural disasters, and haz-

ardous material or radiological incidents.

The law also requires GEMA to develop a

model safety plan as a guide for local

schools and provide training and technical

assistance to schools that are preparing

their plans.

The School Safety Project offers

statew ide conferences, regional work-

shops, and presentations to assist schools

on safety issues. School safety coordina-

tors provide on-site technical assistance in

the areas of crisis response team develop-

ment, site surveys, cns 1s management

planning, exercise design, emergency

operations planning, search and seizure,

and bomb threat management. The coordi-

nators also respond to school incidents

upon request.

GEMA's School Safety Project has

grown exponentia ll y in its first year.

School safety coord inators have trained

more than 16,000 education, emergency

management and public safety personnel

and conducted more than 300 site surveys

of school faci lities. GEMA's schoo l safety

coordinators also served as support

response during some of Georgia's darkest

school safety moments. (See GEMA Carrollton Pol ice Department and served

School Safety Coordinator Recounts as a school resource officer and field train-

School Bus-Train Tragedy, p. 5)

ing officer in both the Patrol and Traffic

GEMA also has hired six new school Divisions.

safety coordinators. They are:

Lawrence Ethridge serves metro

Joe Adams serves northwest Georgia, Atlanta, in cludin g Clayton , DeKa lb,

including Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Fayette, Fu lton, Henry and Rockdale coun-

Cherokee, Dade, Dawson, Fannin, Floyd, ties . Lawrence is a former law enforcement

Forsyth, Gilmer, Gordon, Murray, Pickens, officer, most recently assigned as a Henry

Polk, Walker and Whitfield counties. Joe County school resource officer.

recently retired from the U.S. Army as a

Andy Hester serves southwest

captain. His area of expertise was special Georgia, including Baker, Ben Hill ,

forces, conventional and unconventional Berrien, Bleckley, Brooks, Calho un ,

weapons as well as smal l unit tactics and Chattahoochee, Clay, Colquitt, Cook,

security operations.

Crisp, Decatur, Dodge, Dooly, Dougherty,

Yvette Calzadilla serves metro Early, Grady, Irwin , Lanier, Lee, Lowndes,

Atlanta, including Clayton, DeKalb, Marion, Miller, Mitchell, Pulaski,

Fayette, Fu lton, Henry and Rockdale coun- Quitman, Randolph, Schl ey, Seminole,

ties. Previously, she was a health and safe- Stewart, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Turner,

ty in structor and first aid team member Webster, Wilcox and Worth counti es. Andy

with the American Red Cross.

is a forme r lieutenant with the Turner

Tyler Cruse serves southeast Georgia, County Sheriffs Department.

including Appling, Atkinson, Bacon,

With these newest hires, a total of 13

Brantley, Bryan, Bulloch, Camden, GEMA personnel are assigned to the

Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, School Safety Project full-time.

Coffee, Echols, Effingham, Evans, Glynn,

For more information about the

Jeff Davis, Laurens, Liberty, Long, School Safety Project, please visit

Mcintosh, Montgomery, Pierce, Tattnall , www.state.ga.us/G EMA

or

c a ll

Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Ware, Wayne (404) 635-7000 or toll-free in Georgia at

and Wheeler cou nti es. Tyler, who has been 1-800-TRY-GEMA.



a volunteer firefighter and

victim's advocate, most

recently has been studying fo r hi s Master's of

Did you know

International

Security

Studies at the University of

St. Andrews in Scotland.

Brian Doss serves west

central Georgia, including

Carro ll , Cobb, Coweta,

Douglas, Haralson, Heard

and Paulding cou nties. Brian

For every gun recovered at school in the United States, we miss more than 4,000 other gun violations each year. (U.S. Department of Education, 1997 statistics)
Georgia ranks among the top ten states for violent death at school. (National School Safety Center, 1998 statistics)

is a former sergeant with the

7

Summer 2000 EMERGENCY MANAGER

Partnerships and Persistence Play Key Roles in Developing a Successful School Safety Plan

Jn May, the Fayette County School System gained distinction by implementing the state's first approved school safety plan. Pete Nelms, Deputy Director of the Fayette County Emergency Management Agency, shares the steps the county fo llowed in developing its plan.
Step 1 - Establish a Partnership with Local Board of Education
Developing a partnership with the local Board of Education is not on ly a logical place to begin in establi shing a schoo l safety plan, but imperative in developing a successful plan. The schoo l board will be familiar with any current plans, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. School board members also share concerns regard ing schoo l safety and how the schoo ls respond both internally and externally. Through such a partnership, both the emerge ncy management agency and the board of education can play critical leadership roles in developing the school safety plan.
Step 2 - Set Up Meetings to Develop Strategy and Solicit Ideas
When developing a sc hool plan, schedu le meetings that include all public safety agencies. Since most counties, like Fayette, have multiple public safety organi zati ons and jurisdictions, and since response from jurisdictions will be necessary during a crisis, all public safety entities should be included.
Planning meetings should also include other potential responders, such as the media and school personnel. Invite the public and parents as well, si nce they have a right to know what plans are being made to prevent and respond to school-related incidents. These meeting will generate many ideas that can be utili zed in the plan and help improve its effectiveness. Ideas generated from the various jurisdictions in Fayette County include the following:
Develop a standardized plan, regardless of jurisdiction.

GEMA Director Gary W. McConnell (left) presents certificates to Fayette County EMA Director Jack Krakeel (center) and Deputy Director Pete Nelms (right) recognizing that Fayette County successfully implemented Georgia 's school safety plan.
Provide emergency flip charts to all schools for all emergenc ies.
Design an Integrated Emergency Management response approach for in cidents .
Outline specific actions by sc hool emp loyees that compleme nt responders' actions.
Secure digital photographs of hallways, classrooms, as well as aerial photography of all schools.
Develop a Board of Education crisis management team.
Provide visible identification for all Board of Education employees.
Develop and enhance schoo l dress codes.
Discuss potential discipline issues.
By allowing each agency to address their concerns and express its ideas, the direction of the plan will flourish and maximize effectiveness.
Step 3 - Provide Direction for Meetings
The law requires every public school in Georgia to develop and implement a wide-ranging safety plan to address acts of violence or terrorism, natural disasters, hazardous materials and radiological

incidents. While input from meeting part1c1pants will provide a general direction for the plan, make sure that the minimum criteria outlined in the School Safety Bill as 0.C.G.A 20-2-1185 is included.

Step 4 - Draft the Plan
Have each school draft a plan based on 0.C.G.A. 20-2- 11 85 and the direction and ideas the meetings generated. Once complete, distribute a draft of the plan to all parties that had input. Make any necessary changes and submit the plan to the local EMA director and school board for review and to prepare the final draft. The final plan should then be submitted to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency fo r approval .

Step 5 - Distribution
Once approved, distribute the plans to schools, law enforcement agencies, fire departments, emergency medical services, hospitals and other organizations. Be sure there is a clear understanding of the plan and that each jurisdiction is intimately familiar with the plans as it relates to its jurisdiction. Be certain to include the plans for other jurisdictions, since assistance will be needed from all jurisdictions within your county.

Step 6 - Exercise the Plan

The on ly way to identify any

deficiencies in a plan is to test and exercise

it. A tabletop exercise that includes all

potential responders provides an excellent

start to fami liarizing the various

responders and the school system with the

capabilities each can provide in their com-

munity. Follow up with a full-scale exer-

cise that includes all jurisdictions that will

be involved in the response and the

planning.

For additional assistance in preparing

a sc hool safety plan, contact Karen

Franklin at (404) 635-7000 or toll-free in

Georgia at 1-800-TRY-GEMA.



EMERGENCY MANAGER Summer 2000

8

What Can Georgia Expect froin the 2000 Hurricane Season?
By Chuck Gregg Hurricane Specialist/Area Planner

Dr. William Gray, professor of atmospheric sciences at Colorado State University, has announced his seasonal forecast for this year and predicts an above-average 2000 hurricane season. This means that the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico basins could be threatened by more than 12 tropical storms. Eight or more of these may reach official hurricane status, and four or more may be classified as major hurricanes (a major hurricane has maximum sustained winds of more than 110 mph and is classified as Category 3 or above on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale). However, as Dr. Gray and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) point out, it only takes one storm in your area to make it a memorable season.
Georgia was last hit with a direct landfall of a major hurricane in 1898, when its coastal population was scant. Since then, thousands of residents have moved to the coast, and the population is still growing. Most of these people have never experienced a major hurricane. As a result, many do not understand the levels of risks associated with hurricanes and have not taken measures to mitigate their homes, develop family disaster plans, or prepare for evacuation.
Although 40 percent of the coastal population was motivated to evacuate in 1989 as a result of Hurricane Hugo, in 1996, the year of the Summer Olympics, neither Hurricane Bertha nor Hurricane Fran stirred much interest or fear, and less than 15 percent of the residents relocated inland. Then came Hurricane Floyd.

The largest evacuation effort in the United States was in response to Hurricane Floyd in September 1999. Floyd did not come ashore in Georgia, but it did have a major impact on the state. Approximately 350,000 coastal Georgia residents and tourists joined the 3 million people from the neighboring states of Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina who left home and traveled long distances in search of safety and shelter. Georgia in particular was impacted by an unprecedented number of evacuees from Florida and South Carolina, thus complicating the evacuation and shelter process.
Some of the preparedness and evacuation improvement measures Georgia is implementing to prepare for the 2000 hurricane season are a result of Hurricane Floyd. After the threat of Hurricane Floyd subsided, state, federal and local government agencies formed the Evacuation and Shelter Task Force to review evacuation and information planning and issue recommendations to improve strategies. Several of the Task Force's suggestions are being put into practice in Georgia this year. With a renewed appreciation for the dangers that a severe hurricane would pose to communities, senior officials also moved to expedite response programs.
Other preparedness and mitigation programs are the result of studies that have been under way since the Hurricane Hugo threat m 1989. Agencies such as the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), NHC, National Weather Service (NWS), U.S.

9

Summer 2000 EMERGENCY MANAGER

Army Corps of Engineers and American

Red Cross have been working to help

coastal and inland governments signifi-

cantly increase their hurricane prepared-

ness and mitigation efforts. In addition,

some recommendations from a four-year

Hurricane Evacuation Study, which is

being coordinated by GEMA, FEMA and

the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, are

being implemented even though the study

is not complete.

The following are just a few of the

preparedness

and

evacuation

improvements Georgia is implementing

for the 2000 hurricane season.

Color-coded storm surge maps from the NHC's Sea Lake Overland Surge from Hurricane (SLOSH) model, which depicts potential for storm surge in the six coastal counties, are being completed.
Evacuation zones by the six coastal counties also are being revised.
The state hurricane plan is being updated to be compatible with the new Emergency Support Function (ESF) structure in the Georgia Emergency Operations Plan.
A new FEMA "pick and click" web-based Travel Demand Forecast System will enable the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT), Georgia State Patrol and GEMA to track and anticipate traffic impact from other states.
FEMA and the federal DOT's new Evacuation Liaison Team will be headquartered at the FEMA Regional Operations Center (ROC) in Atlanta.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources and National Oceanic and

Atmospheric

Administration

(NOAA) have a new monitoring

system of storm tides and coastal

basins.

Georgia DOT has implemented a

revised lane reversal plan for 1-16.

FEMA's hurricane HURREVAC

computer model, which calculates

hurricane strike probability and helps

emergency managers decide when to

evacuate, has been enhanced.

The Weather Channel's new "EM Scroll" message program enables

states to notify viewers of evacuation

orders and actions.

New metal shelter signs will be in place to identify coastal and inland

shelter facilities.

A special GEMA-Red Cross statewide shelter training initiative is

under way to increase the number of

trained shelter managers . As a result

of this effort, Georgia had 60 new

shelter managers at the start of

hurricane season.

Increased coordination with Peach State Radio and Welcome/Visitor

Centers to provide the "real-time"

information people need during a

hurricane.

FEM A's Project Impact initiative, which helps communities protect

themselves from a variety of hazards

through mitigation measures.

To decrease evacuation traffic, planners are determining how to

minimize "shadow evacuation," when

people leave home even though they

Damage
Moderate (Some damage to roofs, doors and windoWs.
damage to vegetation, mobile homes and piers.) Extensive (Some structural damage to small resldences
buildings. Mobile homes are destroyed. Flooding near the
smaller structures with larger structures damaged by ftoa Extreme (Some complete roof failure on small residences. beach areas. Major damage to lower floors of structures Catastrophic (Complete roof failure on many reslde(IQlis buildings. Some complete building failures with small util!f.y over or away.)

2000 Hurricane Names

The list of hurricane names for

this year includes one that certainly

rings a hell for many Georgians.

Alberto's hack. and right at the tor of

the list.

While hurricane names arc

normally repeated every six years. the

World Meteorological Organization

retires the names of hurricanes that

have heen rarticularly devastating or

costly. including Oral. Georges and

Hugo. Alberto docs not qualify for that

dubious honor. however. Although

Alberto relentlessly tormented

Georgia in July 1994. leaving at least

34 reople dead and causing approxi-

mately $1 billion in damages across 55

counties, he was only a tropical storm

and never reached the hurricane status

that could have cleared the way for

drorping his name from the roster.

Let's horc he is better behaved

this year. In addition to Alberto, the

hurricane names for 2000 are Beryl.

Chris, Debby. Ernesto, Florence.

Gordon, Helene. Isaac, Joyce. Keith.

Leslie. Michael. Nadine, Oscar, Patty.

Rafael. Sandy, Tony. Valerie and

William.

- Bu:: Weiss

have not been ordered to evacuate, and situations where long-distance evacuation is unnecessary.
In addition, increased planning is under way to address long-term problems and reduce the devastating effects of hurricanes. With considerably more people residing and visiting the coastal area each year, the capacity limits of the road networks and shelter systems are being reevaluated. Recent studies indicate a need for plans that clearly outline how to implement "staged" or "phased" evacuation and identify mitigated shelter facilities at closer destinations.
Federal and state agencies also are working with the academic and private sectors to develop programs that not only save lives but also protect property. For example, a structural integrity program from Texas Tech University evaluates the wind vulnerability of buildings and recommends mitigation measures. Look for more such projects over the next few years as the emphasis moves towards long-term disaster-resistant community measures.

EMERGENCY MANAGER Summer 2000

10

Reconnaissance Aircraft Used
to Hunt Hurricanes
By Buzz Weiss Public Affairs Coordinator

One of the key tropical weather fo recasting tools is aerial reconnaissance. These "hurricane hunters" provide weather data that cannot be gathered or adequately discerned from ground observation stations or satelli te technology.
The U.S . Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, located at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, operates a fleet of WC-130 aircraft that routinely make surveillance flights to evaluate tropical disturbances and hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin.
The turboprop aircraft, with sixmember crews, are modified versions of the venerable Lockheed C- 130 "Hercules" transports. The WC-130 carry sophi st icated forecast in g equ ipment
11

The NOAA Gulfstream IV jet complements the U.S. Air Force Reserve hurricane surveillance aircraft by conducting high altitude research to help scientists better understand hurricanes and improve forecasting.

including "dropwindsondes," which are deployed to measure barometric pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed and
(OOZ) 63 r Forecast 30.13 N 8 .50 W 126kt (~45 phj-Cat 4
Moving 10 t (11 mph}

wind direction. The goal is to determine

the precise location, motion, strength and

size of the storm. A new generati on,

C- 1301, is currently in the testing phase

and will likely be added to the huJTicane

hunters fleet next year.

In the early stages of possible

hurri ca ne development, pilots fly the

planes at low altitudes (between 500 feet

and 1,500 feet) to assess surface winds and

determine if there is a counterclockwise

rotation. As the storm develops, the

aircraft move to hi gher altitudes,

penetrating the storm and the eye to map

the damaging wi nds.

A second fleet of hurricane hunters is

operated by the National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Admjnistration (NOAA) and

based at MacDill Air Force Base near

Tampa, Florida. Two P-3 "Ori on"

turboprop aircraft fly through the eyewall

of hurricanes at various altitudes between

1,500 feet and 20,000 feet to collect data

fo r computer models that the National

Centers for Environmental Prediction and

the National Hurricane Center will use to

predict hurricane intensity and landfall.

The NOAA fleet also includes a

high-tech Gulfstream IV jet, which can fly

at altitudes of up to 45,000 ft. to explore

the upper atmosphere surroundi ng

hurri canes and evalu ate upper level

steering winds that can determine the track

that the hurricane will take.



Summer 2000 EMERGENCY MANAGER

The Funda01entals of Mass Shelters
By Jeff Jellets Constituent Services Coordinator

T he purpose of a mass shelter is to provide safe, temporary housing fo r di saster victim s or evacuees . She lters may be located in sc hoo ls, churc hes or other buildin gs in a communi ty, and, while seldom luxurious, all ow e mergency managers to meet the immedi ate housing needs of hundreds, or even thousands, of people quickl y and e f fic ie nt ly.
Studies show that most Georgians prefer to stay with fa mil y and fri ends during a di saster and will go to shelters onl y when all other options have fa iled. However, although mass shelters are not alw ays the most popul ar solu tion for emergency housing, shelter preparedness must remain a top priority.
Successful sheltering operati ons are often the result of a partnership between many different agencies. Traditionally, the Ame ri can Red Cross has ope ned a nd operated most of Georgia's shelters. However, local government agencies, such as the Department of Famil y and Children Services (DFCS) and the Department of Publi c Health (DPH), also have res ponsibiliti es in supporting she lte r operations. Other volunteer organi zations also may prov ide assistance.
Here are some things that you can do before a disaster strikes to help ensure that your community is ready to open a shelter.
Assess local resources
Local e mergency managers should fac ilitate regul ar meetings with all of the organi zations in volved in shelte r operati ons. T hese meetings will all ow agencies to di scuss important issues.
Shelter operators should make real istic staffing assessments a top priority. Shelters are ope n 24 hours, and require at least two shi fts of personnel. During large di sasters, communities may be fo rced to ope rate multiple fac iliti es. Total your shelter volunteers and profess ional staff before di saster strikes. Thi s w ill help determine the number of people you can count on in an emergency. Anti cipate shortfa lls to allow more time to recruit and train additi onal shelter workers or request out-of-county aid.

Brunswick-Glynn County EMA Director Edward Abel accepts evacuation shelter signs. The signs will enable evacuees to easily identify shelter locations.
Assess your materi al resources in the same way. Your local Red Cross chapter can help you build a shelter manager's kit, which contains all the bas ic suppli es you will need to get a shelter up and running. You should also take stock of items such as cots and bl ankets, whic h may not be readily avail abl e during an e mergency. If you anticipate a shortage, make pl ans now to ration these ite ms. Cots mi ght be limited to the elderly or those with medical pro bl e ms.
M ake arrange me nts with local vendors or volunteer groups to provide food fo r shelters. Nearby military bases or prisons may have cots, bl ankets or other materials that may be loaned to the shelter.
Identify shelter facilities
Identificati on and in spection of potenti al shelter sites is the next step in the shelter planning process . A team of representatives from the Red Cross, DFCS, DPH and the Departme nt of Rehabilitative Services should inspect each facility. As your community identifies and inspects potential shelters, consider the following:
The number of shelters you need to identify depends on your level of ri sk.
Identify fac ilities that are spread out evenl y throughout the county. Most di saster victim s will choose to shelter as close as possible to the disaster site.

Do not limit your shelter list to one type of fac ility, such as schools. Churches, or civic centers may also make excellent shelters and may be ava ilable when a school is not.
To calculate a shelter's capacity, take the total square foo tage of usabl e space and divide it by 60. The result will give you the shelter's capac ity.

Re me mber that not all space in a fac ility may be usabl e. Schoo ls, fo r example, contain areas that are not appropri ate fo r sheltering. If you include these areas in your calcul ations, your shelter capacities will be grossly infl ated.
Once the shelter inspection has been compl eted, the Red Cross will generate a Mass Care Facility Survey fo rm . A copy should be given to each agency involved in the she lte ring operation . The fac ility survey should also be fo rwarded to the Georgia Department of Human Resources in Atl anta, whi ch will add the ne w fac ility to the state shelter database.

Procedures for shelter openings

Communities should develop a

standard operating procedure fo r shelter

activations. These protocols should respect

the policies and limitation of coordinating

agenc ies. For example, loca l law

enfo rcement agencies may need to provide

security at the shelter site. And in order for

the Red Cross to ass ume legal and fi scal

responsibili ty fo r a shelter, it will need to

be contacted before the dec ision to open

the shelter is made.

A set of standard operating procedures

will help ensure that no agency is mi ssed

in the notification process and that an

important shelter support mechani sm is not

ove rl ooked . Shelter ope nings are

smoothest when all partners, particul arly

the local emergency management agency,

Red Cross and DFCS, make the dec ision

to g e th e r.



Want to know what shelters have been identified in you community ? Ch.eek out the state shelter database online at GEMA 's web site. Fo r more information, visit www.state.ga.us/GEMA .

EMERGENCY MANAGER Summer 2000

12

Terrorisnt and Weapons of
Mass Destruction 101
By Lee Smith Director of Consequence Management

T errori sm, fo r many, conjures images of evil conspi rators in lands beyond the borders of the United States. Whil e terrori st incidents in America have been limited compared to othe r nations, incide nts such as the bombings of the World Trade Center in New York, the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D .C. a nd Centenni al Ol ympic Park in Atl anta underscore the potential danger that exists.

Terrorism defined
The Federal Bureau of Investi gati on (FBI) defi nes terrori sm as the unlawful use of force again st persons or pro perty to intimidate or coerce a government, the civili an popul ati on or any segme nt thereof, in the furtherance of political or social objecti ves.
There is not a single descri ption that fi ts a terrori st. T here are ri ght wing, conservati ve ex tre mi sts, left wing, liberal ex tre mi sts and single-i ss ue ex tremi sts. Re li g ious fe rvor, perce ived soc ial inequities, and concerns fo r the enviro nment can all beco me causes fo r a person or gro up who fee ls the o nl y way to accompli sh their goals is th ro ugh the use of violence.
Terrori st tac tics in clude hostage taking, assass in at ion, mass cas ualty incidents, and other phys ical attac ks or the threat of attac k against a target. According to analysts, there is a trend fo r te1TOrists to use dev ices that will cause the most harm with a single attack . Since terrorists also are lookj ng fo r the greatest shock value, the use of weapons that carry the potenti al fo r considerab le loss of life and property become more appealing options.
The Weapons of Mass Destruction
Mass cas ualty incidents attract the most medi a atte nti on. Weapons that can cause these mass cas ualties are called weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The types of attacks that may be made using WMD fa ll into the followin g categories.

Biological agents are mic rosco pic organi sms used intenti onall y to attack people, anim als, or pl a nts including viruses, bacteri a, fun gi, or tox in s. The attac k coul d be overt, announced prior to release of the agent, or it could be covert with no announcement or warning. Some di seases have bee n " weapo ni zed," developed spec ifica ll y for use on the battlefi eld. However, "non-weaponi zed" di seases also may be used in an attack.
Nuclea r devices use rad ioacti ve materi al, e ithe r as the fue l fo r th e explosion or as the contaminant. While the exact avail ability of a nuclear dev ice is uncertain , most agree that there is the poss ibili ty of usin g a co nve ntional explos ive to di sperse radioactive material.
Incendiary devices cause fires and include an igniter (fu ses or electrical spark dev ices), combustible fill er (fl amm able liquid s or co mbustible metals) and a housing (pipes/bottl es/cans). Here, incendi ary dev ices are grouped with ex pl os ives.
Explosives include any substance or

article des igned to functi on by ex plos ion (e.g., an extremely rapid release of gas and heat). Components of explos ives include a combustibl e chemical or solid material, an ox idizer, an igniter, and some fo rm of confineme nt of the ingred ients. Bombs and incendi ary devices re mai n the favo rite tools of the terrorist. T hey are impersonal, can be selecti ve or ge neral in target applicati on, a nd respo ns ibility can be de nied.
Chemical a gents are c he mi ca l compounds developed spec ificall y for use on the battl efield, and include nerve agents and ves icants (bli ster agents) as we ll as irritant agents. While most countries have been destroy ing their stores of chemi ca l agents, some experts are concerned that some of these remaining chemi cals might fall into the hands of terrori sts. In additi on to che mical agents developed spec ificall y to attac k peo pl e, the re is a greate r probability of an attack using industrial chemicals in a hazardous materi al cocktail that could be as deadl y as an attack with an identified chemical agent.

13

Summer 2000 EMERGENCY MANAGER

The first letters of these categories creates the acronym "B-NICE;" however, these types of attacks are anything but
"nice."

The responders

When a terrorist attack occurs using a

WMD, the first response will most likely

include numerous personnel from local

agencies. State and federal agencies and

local, state and national organizations also

are likely to be involved.

No one public service organization

carries the flag for the first encounter with

the consequences of the attack. The initial

responders could be any public service

organization, including law enforcement,

fire service, emergency medical, physi-

cians, public health officials, medical

examiners, rescue services or corporate

security.

One of the most difficult tasks emer-

gency responders face is identifying the

type of incident that is occurring.

Indicators of a WMD event depend on the

type of attack. When explosives and incen-

diary devices are used, the indicators are

fairly evident. For a chemical attack, the

effects will depend upon the type of chem-

ical agent. In the case of a radiological dis-

persal device, the effects will be disguised

initially by the blast effects of the conven-

tional

explosives

used

to

disperse the radioactive material. If the

attack uses biological agents, the effects

will very likely be delayed, and, in the case

of some diseases, hidden by

symptoms very similar to other diseases

that occur at that time of the year. There

also is the possibility of multiple attacks

with multiple agents.

Many of the agents used in an attack

with weapons will require special identifi-

cation equipment. Responders must have

policies and procedures to follow and be

trained in the use of personal protective

equipment (PPE). The decontamination of

the victims and responders also must be

planned and practiced. If the equipment

needed for these operations is not readily

available, mutual aid agreements may be

necessary for adequate response.

The Civil Support Detachment (WMD)
Georgia has a new state resource to assist in responding to an attack involving a WMD. The Georgia National Guard was chosen to activate one of its Civil Support Detachments (WMD) and include teams with the capability to assist in agent iden-

tification for both chemical and biological agents. The unit brings considerable communications support, as well as technical expertise in the medical, nuclear, biological and chemical fields.
Designated the 4th Civil Support Detachment (WMD), this team will be training with local emergency responders and providing assistance throughout the state (see Consequence Management 2000: Weapons ofMass Destruction - Can This Happen and Are We Prepared? on p. 15). Through the Emergency Assistance Compact, the team is also available to assist throughout the country.
How GEMA helps Georgia prepare
In Georgia, state and local organizations assess the state level response to terrorism. In addition, agency heads comprise a steering committee that oversees grants for terrorism response.
GEMA works with federal, state and local public safety organizations to increase the awareness and safety of emergency personnel throughout the state. GEMA has produced videos addressing response to bomb and WMD incidents and distributed them across the state, and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has distributed these videos across the nation. The GEMA web site and the Public Safety Intranet also provide ready information sources for the public safety community.
GEMA continues to partner with the Atlanta office of the FBI to provide information and training to emergency responders and planners throughout the state upon request.

An offshoot of domestic terrorism has been the development of GEMA's School Safety Project. This project looks at school safety as something more than monitoring recess and ensuring that crayons have been put away. With many law enforcement and domestic terrorism experts believing that schools are in fact plausible targets of domestic terrorism, the public safety community is being called to evaluate plans for responding to violent incidents at schools.

Planning ahead

Georgia must continually assess the

threat of a WMD terrorist attack. While a

detailed assessment of terrorist threats

became an important part of Centennial

Olympic Games' preparation, Georgia will

again be reviewing response capabilities

with assistance from DOJ.

The DOJ has requested that states

conduct a detailed survey of the threat,

inventory ex1stmg capabilities for

response and develop a three-year plan for

enhancing current capabilities. One

important aspect of the plan will be

determining how to best use mutual aid

agreements to enhance response

capabilities throughout the state. Focusing

on the areas that GEMA uses to delineate

responsibilities for its field coordinators,

GEMA will seek to further enhance the

mutual aid agreements that have already

been developed throughout the state

among county governments. Please con-

tact GEMA with questions about domestic

preparedness at 404-635-7000 or toll free

in Georgia at 1-800-TRY-GEMA.



0
GEMA Provides WMD Training Video

T he video "Surviving Weapons of Mass Destruction'" is now available. Produced by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) in association with the National Emergency Management Association. the video was funded through a grant from the United States Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs. Copies have been mailed to public safety organizations throughout the state.
Narrated by author Tom Clancy, the video addresses the measures public safety managers and responders should

use when responding to a terrorist incident involving the use of a chemical or biological agent. Many of these also apply when responding to an incident involving a nuclear weapon or radioactive materials.
"Surviving Weapons 0 of Mass Destruction'" may be used in conjunction with the video "Surviving the Secondary Device: The Rules Have Changed...
If you have any questions concerning consequence management of a terrorist incident, please contact GEMA at 404-635-7000 or toll free in Georgia at 1-800-TRY-GEMA . -- Lee S111ith

EMERGENCY MANAGER Summer 2000

14

Consequence Manage01ent 2000: Can
This Happen and Are We Prepared?
By David Dlugolenski Director, Augusta-Richmond Emergency Management Agency

Scenario: Thursday, May 18, 2000
The President and Vice President are scheduled to speak at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in downtown Augusta, Georgia. While the Vice President is delivering the welcoming address, intelligence sources indicate warnings of possible terrorist activities. Based on the potential threat of terrori st activities, the federal government has mobili zed federa l resources within the Augusta area.
At approximate ly LO:OO a.m., a major explosion rocks the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Total chaos ensues. Part of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center has collapsed, and several fires are burning in the main building. The 4,000 people attending the special event are panicking and running in and around the building. Some people are co llaps ing on the ground . Several of the casualties are displaying the fo ll owing symptoms: respiratory problems; increased secretions; twitching and seizures. Mass hysteria fo ll ows, with people seeking medical treatment at local hospitals .
Consequence Management 2000
Fortunately, this was not a real event, but a simu lated terrorist attack that was part of "Consequence Management 2000," a training exercise that was held May 15 - 18, 2000, in Augusta, Georgia. More than 1,500 personnel from loca l, state, federal and military departments participated, representing emergency management agencies from Georgia and Alabama, Army Reserves and National Guard, active duty military at Fort Gordon, Department of Defense, Augusta's Medical Centers, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The exercise began in downtown Augusta with a sim ulated terrorist bombing at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, followed by explosions at Fort Gordon, Georgia. Local HAZMAT teams, in partnership with the Army Reserves and National Guard, dressed in protective clothing, carried heavily injured patients to

decontamination tents and washed them from head to toe. Hundreds of walking wounded , some contaminated by a chemica l agent, arrived at local hospitals for triage and treatment. As part of the Federal Response Plan and National Disaster Medical System, a field hospital was estab li shed at Fort Gordon and patients were transported by the Air Force to veterans hospitals in Atlanta and Birmingham, Alabama.
Agencies must work together
Biological and chem ical terrorism is a grow ing concern, and most emergency response systems and hea lth care fac ilities are poorly prepared for such incidents. Imagine this scenario happening in your city, municipality, or county. Are you prepared? What is your response strategy and plan for this scenario? Do you have the necessary eq uipment, personnel and training to effectively and efficiently respond to a terrorist chemical attack?
The Georgia National Guard's 4th Civil Support Detachment, commanded by LTC Mario Morales, partnered with local HAZMAT teams during the training to assist emergency management agencies in

HAZMAT teams prepare to decontaminate victims of a mock terrorist attack at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (left), while a UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter arrives to evacuate casualties of the simulated explosions at Fort Gordon (right). U.S. Army Reserve photos by Spc. Jenna C. Bisenius, 300th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.

developing the know ledge and skill s

needed in the event of chemical, biologi-

cal, or radio logica l terrorism. The unit

demonstrated its techniques to the

Augusta-Richmond Emergency Manage-

ment Agency, the Augusta Richmond Fire

Department, and local health care officials.

Participants learned the ski ll s they

need to develop prepared ness plan s,

response teams , effect ive triage,

decontamination, and medical treatment at

a weapon of mass destruction event. Most

important were the professional and per-

sonal relationships estab li shed between

various agencies at all levels. Knowing,

recognizing and understanding the ski ll s,

abi lities, and capabilities of everyone

involved in a disaster of this magnitude

builds confidence and reinforces the

absolute necessity to prepare, plan, train,

and respond as a team with one common

goal - to save lives and protect property.

The key to disaster preparedness is

operatio nally oriented cooperative

planning and response at all levels of local,

state, and federal government, including

the military and emergency management

agencies.



15

Summer 2000 EMERGENCY MANAGER

Carroll County 'Safety House' Targets
Fires and Severe Weather
By Buzz Weiss Public Affairs Coordinator

T he Carroll County Fire Rescue and Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is teaching citizens the

proper way to react to an emergency with

its unique fire safety and severe weather

preparedness house. This three-room

interactive educational exhibit simulates

the effects of a house fire or severe

weather event and demonstrates home

safety devices such as smoke alarms and

weather alert radios.

According to Carro ll County

firefighters, the idea for the safety house

was conceived after a tragic 1985 blaze,

where a 9-year-old child died just inches

from a window that could have provided

an escape from the flames and smoke.

Carro ll County Fire Rescue and EMA

Division Chief Bud Benefield says the

incident underscored the importance of

prevention and preparedness. "Education

is the key," he emphasizes.

As plans moved forward , an

innovative idea developed to include a

severe

weather

preparedness

demonstration. This structure is one of

on ly three safety houses in Georgia, and it

is the only one in the United States that

incorporates both fire safety and severe

weather education information in one

vehicle.

The effects of thunderstorms and

tornadoes, including thunder, lightning and

high winds, as well as a National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

weather rad io and a TV carrying severe

weather reports, are simul ated in the li ving

room area. The safety house also includes

a kitchen, which is used to demonstrate fire

hazards involving a stove and other

potential threats, and a bedroom with a

door that simulates the heat that would be

generated from fire in a hall way.

The safety house was dedicated in

April in a ceremony that also included the

presentation of a check from the Georgia

Emergency Management Agency

(GEMA). The $ 19,339.99 grant was

presented to Co unty Com mi ssion

The Carroll County Fire Safety and Severe Weather Preparedness House (above) educates the public about fire safety and severe weather. GEMA Director Gary W. McConnell dedicated the safety house in April (lower left). Mock tornado warnings from the National Weather Service are broadcast through television, radio and NOAA Weather Radio (lower right) during the severe weather demonstration. The house was funded in part through a grant from GEMA 's hazard mitigation program.

Chairman Jack Bell by GEMA Director Gary W. McConnell to help cover the safety house's $38,000 price tag.
In addition to the GEMA grant and funding from the Carroll County Commission, grants to construct the safety house were provided from the Allstate (Ins urance) Found ation, the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation Brent Chesney Memorial Award, and the West Georgia National Bank.
"This house represents an innovative and cost-effective partnership among state

and local govern ments, as well as the private sector, to provide valuab le education to the public that will save lives and reduce serious injury," says McConnell.
According to Carroll County Emergency Management Director Tim Padgett, the safety house will be available for fire safety and severe weather preparedness training programs in selected areas after it completes its CarToll County assignments. He added that other comm unities are welcome to use this house as a prototype to build similar structures.

EMERGENCY MANAGER Summer 2000

16

GEMA Reaches Across the Globe to Assist Eastern European Countries
By Lisa Ray Public Affairs Director

Geo rgia's co mprehensive emergency preparedness, respo nse, and recovery program is an ass urance often taken fo r granted. However, thi s is not the case fo r the Republic of Georgia (formerl y the Georgia Sov iet Sociali st Republic) in eastern Europe. Wi th the help of the United States Nati onal G uard and the Georg ia Eme rge ncy Manage me nt Agency (GEMA), the coun try has made its fi rst step toward moderni zing its humani tari an ass istance/di saster management program to save li ves, protect property and reduce the effects of di sasters.
GEMA was in vited by the Georgia National G uard to visit the Republic of Georgia this spring as part of its State Partne rship Progra m (SPP). The S PP program , whi ch is funded by the U. S. Department of Defense (DOD), links state Natio nal Guards with defense mini stries and other government agencies of Eastern European countries to impro ve bilateral re lations and promote reg ional stability and ci vil-military relation ships in support of U.S. policy obj ecti ves. Georgia is one of 30 U .S . states th at is partne red with countries from around the world.
Although de legates were originally sc heduled to only visit the Republic of Georgia, the U.S. Department of State requested that the delegati on also visit its bordering countri es of Azerbaij an and Armenia. The Georgia de legatio n included Col one l (ret. ) Owen M . Ulmer, Georgia Air Natio nal Guard (GA ARNG) Director, Joint Ope rati o ns; Li e ute nant Colo ne l Robert N. Cochran , GA ARNG, State Partnership Coordinator; and Willi am L. (La rs) Tho mpson, GEMA , Operati o ns Di vision .
"The primary objecti ve of our twoweek trip (April 22 - May 6) was to fa mi liari ze these countri es as to how Georgia manages and responds to disasters and to explore other ave nues of developing a disaster response program ," explains Thompson.
A mountainous republic reg ion locat-

Located in the heart of the Caucasus mountain range, the Republic of Georgia suffers from natural hazards such as earthquakes and flooding, but lacks a lead agency to coordinate response activities.

ed in the heart of the Caucasus ra nge, Geo rg ia shares borders w ith Turkey, Armeni a, Azerba ij an and Ru ssia. With a popu lation of 5 millio n, Georgia is sli ghtl y smaller in area than South Caro lina. Since its independe nce from the Sov iet U ni on in December 199 1, the country has been moving towards democracy and rebuilding its infrastructure.
Bes ides political and econo mi c growth issues, Azerbaij an, Armeni a and Georgia face o ngo in g co ncern s from ea rthquakes, fl oodin g, hum a nitari a n/ di sas te r ass ista nce and e nviro nme nta l threats, prim aril y from oil producti on. With the state of Georgia's ex te nsive invo lve ment in di sasters rangin g fro m fl oods to ice storm s, as we ll as the 1996 Summer Ol ympics, the National Guard looked to GEMA to prov ide gui da nce and directi on to aid these countries. With the help of tran slators, Thompson was able to share info rm ati o n abo ut GEMA' s emergency manageme nt program.
"I ass isted the Republic of Georgia in strateg izing their di saster respo nse structure as well as facilitating a planning workshop using state and county model pl ans," says Thompson. "Since they are continuously developing the ir pl an, I tried to e mphasize the importance of coordination between local government, national

governmental agencies and the private sec to r. T he ir cha ll e nge will be to determine the ir resource capabiliti es and how to overcome their shortages of ex pertise and equipme nt. " He also made sure that hi s Republi c coun terparts were outfitted fo r future di saste rs, leaving behind GEMA vests and hats.
According to Tho mpson, the project was a success. "A ll three independent nations ex pressed sincere interest about how our state perfo rm s e mergency management," he explain s. "Our main focus was di vided into three areas: first, to emphas ize the legislati ve process and how the government fo rmul ated the structure to develop Emergency Management within the state of Georgia; second , to di scuss the coordination process among the vari ous state and local governmental agencies; and third, to emphas ize the cooperative efforts th ro ugh planning, tra ining and exercises."
Because the Natio nal Guard worked so closely with embassies fro m the targeted countries, the Georgia delegati on could trave l through each of the reg ions by vehicle. Thi s gave them the chance to see much of the countryside and urban areas otherwise off the beaten path fo r many outsiders. Thi s perspective aided in their international di scuss ions. Thompson was surpri sed by the wide variety of fruits and

17

Summer 2000 EMERGENCY MANAGER

With the aid oftranslator Tamuna Gabisonia (left), Lars Thompson, Hazardous Materials Specialist in GEMA 's Operations Division, explains the basic principles of civil military crisis management to the Republic of Georgia Civil Protection Directorate and Land Forces general staff.

vegetables and other crops, as well as the

li vestock prod uction and the beauty of the

coun trys ide. He was also concerned by the

fact that so many of the its infras tructu re

reso urces , inc luding buildings and

e lectrical syste ms, are in need of repair.

Although the regions have lim ited

resources, Tho mpson believes the

delegation was able to stimulate interest in

additi onal humanitarian/di saster manage-

ment coordinati o n and fa mili ari zatio n

within all three nati ons.

Tho mpson also fee ls there is potenti al

fo r fu ture in vitations to add ress

humani tari an and disaster manageme nt

ass istance in cooperati on with the Georgia

National Guard. "S ince the new nations

are still developing their democratic way

of life, thi s will be a very lengthy process,"

he concludes.



Receives New Trailers

EMERGENCY MANAGER Summer 2000

18

History Sounds Stor01 Warning
You Can't Miss
By Steve Blow The Dallas Morning News

I f your roof was just ripped off, maybe you should be forgiven for anything you mjght say. But there was a comment I heard several times after Tuesday's storm that kind of rankled me. With a sense of indignation , peop le wou ld say :
"We had no warning !" Excuse me? You were expecting an engraved announcement, perhaps? No warnjng? We had two days of warnin gs abou t th at storm! Weath er folks were talki ng on Sunday about a bi g storm looming. By Mond ay ni ght, they were almost predi cting the hour it would roll through. I don't know what sort of warni ng people expect. We're so overwarned about everything else these days, may be they ex pect a bri ght red sti cker to show up on the front door: Cauti on! Cuidado ! Achtung! All hell to break loose at 6:22 p.m. I think a coupl e of fac tors create thi s false ex pectati on th at torn adoes are preceded by a nice, courteous warning.
Making noise
F irst, cities love to put up those wa rning sirens. T hey ma ke d isaste r planners feel all warm and fu zzy inside. And admit it, they a re dra mati c and exc iting.
But that doesn't mean the sirens are going to wail an hour before a tornado arrives on your street. If you're lucky, you might get a few minutes of warning. Often, tornadoes come and go befo re the official siren sounder even knows it.
Our second sense of false security

comes from the TV weather folks. They all love to brag about their Super-D uper Doppler Storm-Stopper Radar System s.
Don't fal l for it. That's mostly about ratings. T here' s no such thing as "preci sion" radar.
The TY weather gurus were obsess ing Tuesday night over some sort of "s ignature couplet" radar pattern in northern Tarrant
County whil e a rea l, li ve tornado was poundin g downtow n Fort Worth . No Injuries were repo rted in the signature coupl et. But let's not make the weather fo recasters the bad guys here. They are the heroes. They gave us all the warning we could expect about a dangerous storm. At some point, our safe ty becomes our responsibi li ty. When the sky turns green and funky,

it's time to get to a safe place - not stand in the yard with a video camera, for heaven's sake.
Survivors' story
I kind of got religion about thi s many years ago when I wrote a fifth anniversary story on the terrib le tornado that hit Wichita Fall s in 1979.
It was one of the best stories I ever wrote. And why do I say that? Because I didn't write it. In talking to survi vors, I reali zed that nothing was more powe rful than their own words. So I just let them tell the story. And one message came through loud and clear : If you take cover in time, yo ur chances of surviving a tornado are very, very good. If yo u don't, well .. . [n Wichita Fall s, I talked to a lovely woman who couldn 't decide
whether to re main in her gift shop as the storm ap proac hed . At the last minute, she decided to run fo r shelter in a more substantial building nearby. She waited too long. Th e to rnado hi t as she ra n. She managed to wrap herself around a metal sign pole. She descri bed how the storm literall y sucked the air in and out of her lun gs. Flyi ng debri s pounded her unmercifull y. She watched as a piece of sheet metal sajled by, cutting off her leg in one swift slice. I got religion. Tuesday night, as the storm roll ed into Dallas County, I was cleaning out a space in the hall closet. I wasn't scared, just read y. No warning about tornadoes? I got my warning 16 years ago .
Reprinted with permission of T he Dall as M ornin g News. This column originally appeared 313 1100.

19

Summer 2000 EMERGENCY MANAGER

TEST 2000 Scheduled for October
By Sam R. Cunningham Coordinator for West Central Georgia Region 7 Emergency Medical Services

R esponse organizations often are thrust together in emergency situations, usually under the most

adverse conditions, and their efforts must

be coordinated for the most organized,

efficient and effective response.

Representatives from all response agencies

will learn a team approach to managing an

emergency situation at Tying Emergency

Services Together (TEST) 2000, an

emergency services conference scheduled

for October 17 - 19 at the Columbus Trade

and Convention Center in Columbus,

Georgia. This conference is sponsored by

Columbus, Georgia-based Three Rivers

Area Health Education Center and the

West Central Georgia Region 7 EMS

Office.

Five plenary sessions and more than

100 workshops focusing on bioterrorism,

domestic violence, school violence,

workplace violence and the disaster scene

(from evacuation and sheltering to

multi-casualty care) will be taught by

local, regional, national and internationally

renowned speakers. Representatives from

emergency management, emergency

medical services, fire suppression, law

enforcement, public health, hospitals,

hazardous

materials

handling,

bioterrorism, school systems, and the

military are expected to attend .

Topics include:

America's School Yard Shootings;

The EMS Response to Heritage High

School ;

Large Scale Incident Command;

Building Interagency Relationships;

Bioterrorism - Agents of Choice;

Crisis Management for Business and Industry; and

Recognizing Domestic Violence

Issues that Could Lead to Workplace

Violence.

For more information or to receive a

registration brochure, contact Three Rivers

AHEC by phone at (706) 660-2735 or by

e-mail at scnichols @hotmail.com; or West

Central Georgia Region 7 EMS by phone

at (706) 321-6150 or by e-m ail at

samrcemtp @aol.com .



4) The word, ''hurricane," is derived from: a) 'Jlorkon," the Norse god of wind b) ~Hurcare," the Latin word meaning "to destroy"
c) "Hurican,'' the Carib god of evil
d) "lfurkos," the Greek word meaning "cyclone"
5) Modern day "hurricane hunters" trace their history back to: a) Wodd War I b) World War II p) Korea d) Vietnam

EMERGENCY MANAGER Summer 2000

20

Governor's Severe Weather Conference
Attracts Record Crowd; GEMA Honored
By Jonna Wheeler Special Assistant to the Director

T he third annual Governor's Severe

Weather Confe rence, sponsored by

th e

G e o rg ia

E me rge ncy

Management Agency (GEMA), was he ld

May l - 3, 2000 at Jekyll Island. The theme

of the 2000 confe rence, " New Challenges

fo r a New Mille nnium ," underscored the

importance of pre parin g fo r seve re

weather e vents that could occur during the

new century.

A record number of more than 600

attended, representing e mergency manage-

ment and pub lic safety agencies, private

compani es, vo lunteer groups, educators,

and the meteorology profess ion learned

how to better prepare fo r and respond to

the severe weather that threate ns Georgia.

One of th e hi g hli g hts of th e

conference was the keynote address by

Georgia Governo r Roy E. Ba rnes o n

Monday afternoon.

Bri g. Gen. Jack Kell y (ret. ), Director

of the National Weather Service (NWS),

also addressed confe rence participants at

the luncheon on Tuesday, May 2. Other

speakers incl uded David Chand ley, WSB-

TV Channe l 2; Co mmiss io ne r Lo ni ce

Barrett, Department of Natural Resources;

Denni s Smith , The Weather Channel; and

Hank Huckaby, the Carl Vin son In stitute of Government at the Uni versity of Georgia. Dr. Robert Brabh am, a psychologist from South Carolina, was the clos ing speaker May 3.
The dramatic increase in attendance at thi s year's conference is a cl ear indicator of the ri sing awareness of the threat of severe weathe r in Georg ia a nd refl ects the dedi cati on of Geo rgia's publi c safe ty officers, elected offici als, pri vate partners, and volunteer organi zati o ns who work daily to protect citi zens during severe weather eve nts.
Georgia and GEMA honored
In recogniti on of Georgia's efforts to pro mote and ex pa nd coverage of the Nati o nal Oceani c a nd Atmospheri c Admini strati on (NOAA) Weather Radio syste m in Geo rgia, So uth ern Reg io n Director Willi am Proenza of the National Weather Service presented Governor Roy E. Barnes and GEMA D irector Gary W. McConnell with the Mark Trail Award fo ll ow ing the Governor's add ress on Mo nday. T hi s is the most prestigious award offered by NWS.
The NOAA Weather Rad io ex pansion

Brig. Gen. Jack Kelly (ret.), Director of NWS, explains the importance of expanding the NOAA Weather Radio program to conference participants at the May 2 luncheon (top). Dr. Paul Williams demonstrates how to properly conduct a rescue operation from an accident that involves transporting animals (lower left). Governor Roy E. Barnes and GEMA Director Gary W. McConnell exchange greetings with State Representative Clint Smith from Dawsonville (lower right}.

21

Summer 2000 EMERGENCY MANAGER

program was impl emented in Georgia in

1998 at the recommendation of the

Governor's Task Force on Warning and

Communi cation, which was formed after

severe weather and tornadoes caused dev-

astation in areas of the state. When the

expans ion is completed this year, Georgia

will have one of the most comprehensive

NOAA Weather Radio coverage systems

in the nation.

T he expans ion in clud es 14 new

transmitters, w hi ch wi ll provide coverage

to areas previously unabl e to receive the

broadcasts. Eight transmitters, located in

Cleve land , Summerville, Buchanan,

Americus, Thomasto n, Va ldosta ,

Brunswick and Jesup are currently operat-

ing as part of the GEMA project. New

transmitters also are functioning in Toccoa

and Metter as a result of dedicated local

efforts and hazard mitigation grants. The

remaining transmitters will be placed in

Blairsville,

C layton,

Eatonton,

Sandersville, Eastman and Boykin.

In addition, sites are being surveyed in

Blue Ridge and LaGrange for new

transmitters.

GEMA Director Gary W. McConnell (left) and Governor Roy E. Barnes (right) accept the Mark Trail Award, the most prestigious offered by NWS, from National Weather Service Southern Region Director William Proenza.

About Mark Trail
The Mark Trail comic strip character was recently named spokesman for the NWS Weather Radio program to build public awareness and support. The Mark Trail Award that was presented to Governor Barnes and McConnell features a cartoon by Jack Elrod that depicts Mark Trail and Jack Kelly emp has izing the

importance of NOAA Weather Radio. It is reprinted below by special permission of King Features.
Elrod was born March 29, 1924, in Ga in esv ill e, Georg ia. E lrod has been assoc iated with the strip since the 1950s, and took over "Mark Trail" in 1978 after Ed Dodd, its creator, retired. Elrod continues to make hi s home in Georgia.

THERE IS :!NE 'TMll'l6 WE CAN COON'T ON AN1' 'TMA'T IS 'TUE WEA'TMER IS ALWAYS CHANGING...IN A SHOA'T TIME, A 9EAU'TIFUL
MY CAN ERUPT IN'TO A RAGING SiORM
Wl'TH HIGH WINI'S, HEAVY RAINS AN1' EVEN ...,..,....._ __..'-.. TOANA1'0ES

A FEW MINU'TES OF WMNll'l6 AHEA1' OF
TIME COOL1' SAVE YOUR LIFE-A WEA'TMER RADIO MAY GIVE YOO Tl4Ai EX'TRA TIME

INFOAMA'TION A900'T Ml'IGEROOS WEATHER CON1'moNS rs OF LITTLE VALUE IF Tl4E PEOPLE WHO NEE1' rr 1'0N'r GE'T rr IN TIME

EACH WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE 'TAILORS rrs eROADCAS'TS 'TO surr LOCAL NEE~ Wl'TH INFOAMA'TION 'TMA'T MIGH'T SAVE PAOPfRTY AN1' LIVES

EMERGENCY MANAGER Summer 2000

22

GEMA Post Office Box 18055 Atlanta, Georgia 30316-005 5
1-800-TRY-GEMA www.state.ga.us/GEMA http: //safetynet.gema.state.ga.us
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