September is recognized as National Emergency Preparedness Month. This is a time for both individuals and county organizations to take a careful look at how prepared they are for an emergency or disaster.
Joey Smith, the deputy director of Forsyth’s Emergency Management Agency, says that, while this month is a great reminder, being prepared is something that should be done year-round. In fact, Smith’s job is to do just that for the entire Forsyth County community.
Smith says it’s his job to, “Sit here and think about the worst case scenario and how we as an agency can be better prepared, and how also, we can ensure that our community is better prepared to react or respond to an incident in or around their homes.”
There are five core areas that emergency response teams look at: prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery. This month Smith says his team is focusing on prevention and preparedness. He says they focus on several different areas. “Most of the time, it’s natural disasters, ice storms, or ice related emergencies, weather related emergencies, hurricanes, floods… but we also think about the manmade disasters, cyber-attacks and stuff like that. So it's really a big picture position where we have to consider multiple things.”
Not only does the Emergency Management Agency look at potential disaster, but they come up with a plan for how to handle it. They are constantly preparing for emergencies that have not yet happened. But how do they come up with the strategy on how to handle those events? “The main thing that we do is work with our community partners, both in the government sector at the local level, the state level and the federal level. But also on the commercial side, Georgia Power, for instance, Sawnee EMC, or Jackson, EMC, any anybody that we need to call upon, when an emergency happens, we have those discussion on the blue sky days so that when something bad happens, we're not just randomly calling around, we already have those connections.”
They also look at other community’s responses to similar disasters – what went well and what went wrong. Smith also says it’s important to rely on experts. “We call in subject matter experts in particular areas like our local information technology department, when we're talking about a potential cyber attack,” says Smith. “Those guys are the experts in cyber, I'm not. So we call upon those partners in different areas to help us think of possibilities and ways that we can avoid bad things happening.”
While many people don’t think about an emergency event until it happens, Smith says that’s long past the time to be thinking about it. The same principles he applies to making sure a community is prepared, you should also use for your own family. “First, make a plan, sit down with your family, think about what those disasters could be," he says. "And it could be as simple as you know, a flood that's coming or, or a hurricane that's predicted or projected, impact your area. It’s important to think about these things on the blue sky days, so that when something bad happens, it's all together, and you can initiate that plan to keep everyone as safe as possible.”
Many people don’t think about important documents, such as wills, birth certificates or marriage licenses. Smith suggests keeping all those in one safe place where you can access them easily, but also where they are protected. He says you should easily be able to grab the bag, or binder, where they are stored. He also says you should think about prescriptions, as well. “Because if you do have to evacuate in a hurry, and you have forgotten your prescription meds and you're off in another city, and you can't get back to your home, how do you make sure that you have the ability to call your pharmacy and get those prescriptions refilled so that you can maintain your personal health?”
Don’t forget planning for your pets, or your livestock, as well. Make sure there’s a plan for keeping them safe.
Finally, he says if you have anyone in your home with special needs or a disability, that may take a little extra planning. “You have to think in advance, how are you going to compensate for that? Or manage that during an emergency? Do you need to leave a little bit sooner? Do you need to find a, a place that accommodates whatever your particular need? Those are important things to think about beforehand. So that in the in the moment of the emergency, you don't forget it.”
Smith says making a plan is just one important part of preparedness. The other important piece is to stay informed. One way to stay updated is by signing up for emergency alerts. Smith says most communities have an option for being alerted to any weather or other emergencies. Sometimes those alerts come as a text, a phone call or as an email, and sometimes you can choose your preference. Check with your local emergency management department as to how to sign up.
There are other resources, as well, to help families be better prepared in the event of an emergency. In fact, there’s a statewide campaign called “Ready Georgia” from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) which is aimed at motivating Georgians to take action to prepare for a disaster.
On the GEMA website, there are weekly themes to practically help people to take steps toward preparedness. “During National Preparedness Month, all residents are encouraged to take steps toward ensuring the safety of themselves, their families, homes, businesses and communities.”
The “Ready Georgia” Campaign is encouraging families take small steps during the whole month of September. On their website, www.gema.georgia.gov/plan-prepare/ready-georgia, there are weekly themes with some further resources and links on how to implement them. The first full week of September, the theme was “Make a Plan.” The second week’s theme will be, “Build a Kit,” followed by “Low Cost, No-Cost Preparedness.” The final theme is, “Teach Youth About Preparedness.” You can visit that website for more information on all of those themes, as well as making your own plan or for more resources.
