Preparedness

Be smart, informed and prepared
Immediately after an emergency, essential services may be cut off, and local disaster relief and government responders may not be able to reach you right away. Knowing what to do to protect yourself and your household is essential.

This guide describes how to prepare for most disasters, includes safety tips and provides information about emergency water and food. Common sense actions for one emergency event can apply to others. Being informed, remaining calm and having a plan are key to your safety.

As we learned from recent events in our nation’s history, the following things can happen after an emergency or terrorist attack:

• Significant numbers of casualties and/or damage to buildings and the infrastructure may occur. Your employers need current contact numbers and medical information.

 
• Heavy public safety involvement at the local, state and federal levels will follow a terrorist attack.

 
• Emergency medical and mental health resources in your community may be strained or overwhelmed.

 
• Extensive media coverage will follow these events and strong public fear and international implications may arise for an extended time.

 
• Workplaces,schools and businesses may close, suspend operations, or modify schedules, and travel may be restricted.

 
• You and your household may have to evacuate or relocate for a period of time.

 
• Cleanup may take many months.

 

"Emergency - Citizen's Action Guide"
The articles listed below can be viewed in this "Citizen's Action Guide" publication.

Emergency - Citizen's Action Guide (size: 8.5mb)

Emergency - Citizen's Action Guide - Spanish Version

Be Prepared to Leave - Video
The possibility of being forced to evacuate your home in an emergency is very real. Have an emergency communications plan for your family.
Watch Video - Duration: 1min. 43sec.




Disaster Supplies Kit - Video
Your family will cope best by preparing for disasters before it strikes. One way to do this is to assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit. Learn more on how to assemble one on this instructional video.
Watch Video - Duration: 2min. 18sec.




Shelter In Place - Video
There are many times where conditions indicate that it is unsafe to evacuate. In these situations, the best course of action is to shelter in place. Please review this video to inform yourself on how to shelter in place.
Watch Video - Duration: 1min. 26sec.




First Aid Kit - Video
A well stocked First Aid Kit is a good tool to have at home at any time, and it will help you be better prepared in the event of an emergency.
Watch Video - Duration: 1min. 58sec.

Special Needs Database
New! Registration for the Special Needs/Populations at Risk Program may be completed online, or by phone with EMA at (770) 499-4567. For more information, click here.

Cobb County achieved StormReady recertification to better protect our residents against the ravages of Mother Nature. StormReady is a nationwide community preparedness program that uses a grassroots approach to help communities develop plans to handle all types of severe weather—from tornadoes to tsunamis. The program encourages communities to take a new, proactive approach to improve local hazardous weather operations by providing emergency managers with clear-cut guidelines on how to improve their hazardous weather operations.

Approximately 90% of all Presidentially-declared disasters are weather related which lead to nearly 500 deaths per year and roughly $14 billion in damage. StormReady, a program started in 1999 in Tulsa, OK, helps arm America's communities with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property before and during an event. StormReady helps community leaders and emergency managers strengthen local safety programs.

To be officially StormReady, a community must:

• Establish a 24-hour warning point and an emergency operations center
• Have more than one way to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and to alert the public
• Create a system that monitors weather conditions locally
• Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars
• Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.

The essence of the program is to ensure the entire warning system performs properly when severe weather strikes. The "system" is c omprised of the NWS (which issues the warnings), local emergency management (which ensures the warnings get communicated), and you ( who respond properly to the warnings). When each part of this system performs well, lives and property are saved. StormReady® recognizes those counties in which the system is most likely to perform well.

Information courtesy of the National Weather Service website: www.srh.noaa.gov

Ready Classroom

This site provides activities, lesson plans, and multimedia tools for elementary and middle school teachers

www.discoveryeducation.com/readyclassroom

Tornado Safety Tips
View Tornado Safety Tips

This fact sheet was provided by the GEMA School Safety Unit for use by schools, but provides some sound advice for all of us who live in Georgia.

Business Continuity Planning Checklist
View BCP Checklist

Will you still be in business after a disaster? A significant number of businesses impacted by a disaster never reopen. Whether it's a fire, a flood, or a tornado, you need a plan to get your business back up and running after a disaster. Reopening your business quickly is important to you, your employees, and the community. Use this BCP checklist to help you create a Business Continuity Plan for your small to mid-sized business, and prepare your business to survive the unexpected.