Emergency Centers Open

Three disaster recovery centers are now open to help people in 17 Georgia counties hit by storms and flooding that started late last month. The FEMA and Georgia Emergency Management Agency centers will provide help to people who had uninsured or under-insured losses. Officials ask that people try applying online at www.disasterassistance.gov or by phone at 800-621-3362 before visiting the centers. The centers, located in Douglas, Valdosta and Nahunta, are open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

(Associated Press)

Too Soon To Calculate Flood Damage In State

State emergency management officials say it will be next week at the earliest to determine how much damage was done by flooding in Georgia over the past two weeks. Officials with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency say more than 50 counties have been impacted by flooding--with south Georgia especially hard hit. As flood waters recede in Brantley County, federal officials there are evaluating close to 100 homes either damaged or destroyed by high water. In various other counties, officials are still being urged to boil water if their wells were flooded.

Flooding Prompts State Of Emergency In South Georgia

As a result of heavy rain that fell late last week into the weekend, Governor Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency for six south Georgia counties. Baker, Colquitt, Miller, Tift, Turner and Worth counties will be eligible for state help in dealing with cleanup and repair efforts from flooding in the region. 800 miles of roads and nearly 100 homes were damaged in the six-county area. Nine bridges in the region also sustained damage. The agencies available to local authorities include GEMA, the Georgia State Patrol, and the Department of Transportation.

Severe Weather Sweeps Georgia

Georgia emergency officials this morning say there is damage in several areas of the state from severe weather that rolled through late yesterday afternoon through the evening. From north, to central, east-central, west, and extreme southwest Georgia--reports of tornado touchdowns and damage.

Buzz Weiss with GEMA gave GPB an update as of 6am:
-Hancock County in east-central Georgia: reports of one fatality and a handful of injuries with damage in the area.
- Jasper County in central Georgia: at least 100 structures damaged.
- Coweta County in west Georgia: possible tornado touchdowns
- Grady and Thomas counties in SW-Ga.: possible tornado hits.
- Wilkes County in east Georgia: damage reported.

Weiss says GEMA this morning is working with local emergency officials to offer assistance needed--everything from debris removal and any needs for shelter set-up.

UPDATE: Tropical Storm Hanna

Tropical storm Hanna is still headed toward South Carolina. Landfall is expected Friday; however, Georgia Emergency Management Agency officials say, “Hanna’s path can still shift to Georgia.” Overnight the storm did not gain momentum, but scientists predict it will gain speed and strength. By the end of today officials should decide whether or not to issue a voluntary evacuation for coastal residents, especially those residing on the barrier islands.

'Hanna' still a threat to Georgia--UPDATE

Even with ‘Hanna’ being downgraded to a tropical storm earlier today as it moved over the Bahamas, that has not eased the focus of state emergency officials with its threat to Georgia.

Kandice Eldon with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency says 50 people from various state agencies are involved right now in preparations. They are tele- and video-conferencing with various coastal emergency officials on the latest storm plans.

Eldon says residents along Georgia’s coast need to be just as aware to the storm’s track as yesterday:

"We are not out of the clear in Georgia at all. We are still under preparation for a direct hit or even from winds and rains that can come because of the proximity of the storm to Georgia".

Eldon says coastal officals have been asking questions of those with the state:

"What should we do next? If this storm does directly hit us, what should we be planning for? Discussions are being made regarding the possibility of evacuations or if the storm is not that strong…to move the people inland”".

Some forecast models have 'Hanna' hitting Georgia’s coast on Friday.

Eldon says GEMA’s storm center as of early this afternoon was not quite at full operating mode, but is close to it.

Fay still a threat to Georgia--update

Flooding and high winds are still conditions that could impact coastal Georgia over the next several hours into Friday.

State emergency officials are watching the movement of Tropical storm Fay closely. Ken Davis of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency says they’ve received new estimates on a storm track and possible rainfall.

"By midnight perhaps it might be enough inland and start impacting and providing rain to some of our southern tier of counties...and probably midnight Saturday or so, it might be over by Chattahoochee River. Possible amounts of maybe 4-8 inches of rain along the bottom tier of counties...3-6 maybe a little more inland and isolated areas. And there’s a remote or low possibility of isolated tornadoes as this thing moves inland".

Davis says emergency officials with several southeast Georgia counties were on a GEMA conference call this morning for the latest.

How the storm turns may affect school closures for Friday. Systems in Camden and McIntosh counties were closed today.

Macon soon to receive federal aid

After a meeting with state and federal emergency management officials, Macon is one step closer to receiving federal dollars for tornado relief.

The city qualified for the money after President Bush declared several Georgia counties disaster areas. The designation clears the way for federal help. Officials from Macon and Bibb County learned how to navigate their way through a ten step process.

Gary Rice is with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. He says one of the first steps is what FEMA calls an applicants briefing.

"What we do is we come in from the state side and try to brief the cities and counties that's been affected on the policies and procedures that we'll have to follow in order to qualify for Federal reimbursement," said Rice.

Local agencies are now submitting their financial proposals to FEMA and plan to meet in the coming weeks to kick off the recovery. The Mother's Day tornado's caused millions of dollars in damage in several Middle Georgia counties.

(Josephine Bennett reporting)

Perdue asks Bush for disaster declaration

Governor Sonny Perdue on Wednesday requested that President George Bush declare Cherokee County a major disaster area.

Perdue says such a declaration will assist residents and local governments with emergency response measures and aid for losses from the severe weather and tornadoes on May 20, according to a statement from the Governor's Office:

“This is the third tornado event this spring that has disrupted the lives of our citizens and devastated one of our communities,” Perdue said.

“I am hopeful that our federal partners will recognize the extent of this damage and will render the appropriate assistance to help the residents of Cherokee County recover in the aftermath of this severe weather.”

Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) officials estimate initial governmental response and clean up efforts will exceed $2.9 million, the statement said.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the storms and tornadoes that have repeatedly struck the state in recent weeks.

Macon mayor declares 'state of emergency'

Macon Mayor Robert Reichert, declared a state of emergency in the city on Sunday at 09:40, as a result of severe storms overnight.

Reichert said that he faxed Governor Sonny Perdue, and requested that the state declare the affected areas a disaster area. He asked that rescue equipment and additional police forces be sent to the city.

Lisa Janak with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, said Perdue was appraised of the situation.

"The federal government will be moving hard to help," President Bush said. "I'll be in touch with the governors and offer all of the federal assistance we can."

Speaking with WMAZ tv, Reichert asked residents to stay home and off the streets. He also asked residents to avoid the southern and western parts of the city, where the majority of the damage occurred. He said that traffic lights in those areas were down, which had caused significant traffic snarls.

Reichert said one of the city's main water pumping stations was not working, due to a power outage. He asked residents to conserve water, not to shower, and close all faucets until emergency crews restored power.

He also asked that residents limit cellphone use, in order to allow emergency services access to frequencies, adding that the system in the area had collapsed from the overload.

Two people were killed from the storms in nearby areas.

Janek said one person died in Laurens. Authorities report another dead in Kite, from the storms. Authorities have not yet identified the fatalities.

Janek said 19 counties were affected.

Click here for more details on this story.

GA disaster aid tops $35 M

The Georgia Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security say the funds were a combination of federal, state and local aid to tornado and storm-ravaged areas as of March 1, 2007, according to a DHS statement:

• $24,021,156.23 in public assistance funds
• $3,558,027.60 state share
• $20,463,128.63 FEMA share
• $9,770,700 in U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans
• $5,682,200 for homeowners and renters
• $4,088,500 for businesses and economic injury loss
• $1,354,036 in disaster assistance to families
• $906,502 for housing assistance.
• $447,534 for other needs assistance
• $247,450 in disbursed federal disaster unemployment payments

Click here for more GPB severe weather coverage.

Statewide tornado drill today

Georgia emergency management officials will run a statewide tornado drill today. It was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but was postponed because of bad weather in the state--and the threat of tornadoes. GEMA says the drill this morning should be treated as if it is an actual severe weather emergency. Schools are among the groups participating. This week in Georgia has been Severe Weather Awareness Week.

Private well owners urged to conserve, test water

Owners of private water wells are being urged to conserve and check the safety of their water. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency warned well-water users today that their underground water sources could go dry. The same groundwater that flows into lakes and rivers also supplies wells. Officials also urged well owners to monitor water quality since extreme drought conditions can affect bacteria and chemical levels in water. State and local water authorities do not test the water of private wells.

Atlanta, counties to hold Anthrax exercise

Five Georgia counties will conduct a week-long exercise in October that will play an Anthrax release scenario.

The test is to test the effectiveness of working with volunteers from the business community in order to distribute medication to the affected population.

The week long exercise, which runs from October 22 to October 26, will include a one day drill on October 25 in Barrow, Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties.

The Department of Human Resources Division of Public Health, the Community Continuity Atlanta Partnership (CCAP), Georgia Division of Public Health Office of Emergency Preparedness, Business Executives for National Security (BENS), Emory University, Hands on Altanta, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), and county Boards of Health are behind the exercise, according to a DHR statement.

Sumter Hospital gets new facilities

Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus, destroyed by a twister on March 1st is getting new temporary structures, until a new facility is built.

The federal and Georgia emergency management teams supplied the modular structures. They say the pre-fab rooms will allow the hospital to treat a fuller range of medical needs.

Federal, state and local officials unveiled the structures at a press conference Friday afternoon, held in the hospital's parking lot.

Sumter has been using mobile homes, trailers and hard-walled tents in the parking lot to treat patients since the tornado on March first. These facilities were limited, and most cases were transferred to other area hospitals.

Ambulance staffer fills out patient forms outside of
temporary facility. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Officials say this is the first time the rooms, made by an Italian company, are being used as a hospital facility in the United States.

Construction workers outside hospital building,
after twister. (Photo: Dave Bender)

More information on the hospital is here.