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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
Georgia launches new emergency,
disaster Web Site - Georgia!!! 1 .org
Special to the Journal
ATLANTA - Georgians
have a new resource at their
fingertips when they need
information about a disaster
or emergency, Gov. Sonny
Perdue announced today.
Developed at the governor s
request, the newly launched
Georgia9ll.org serves as
a gateway to information
regarding response and
recovery activities, provid
ing real-time information
and a comprehensive list of
available assistance during
an emergency or disaster.
The unprecedented mag
nitude of Hurricane Katrina
and its impact on our state
required the coordination
of several agencies and the
timely dissemination of
resources and information,
said Perdue. Georgia9ll.
org is a valuable resource
that brings together gov-
Houston 4"H , ers attend state council
Special to the Journal
Houston County was rep
resented by four 4-H’ers at
State 4-H Council held June
23-25 at the Rock Eagle 4-H
Center in Eatonton.
Local delegates to this
annual meeting were: Margo
Braski, Morgan Collins,
Jazmin Thomas, and Chelsea
Wilson. They joined 644
other 4-H’ers, representing
almost every county in the
state.
The theme of the meet
ing was “Life is Hard ...
Get a Helmet.” Throughout
the weekend, 4-H’ers were
encouraged to begin exam
ining issues to help them
prepare for “real life”.
Workshops led by the
University of Georgia
College of Agriculture and
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Special to Journal
For its innovative programs designed to improve the health of Houston County resi
dents, Houston Healthcare was presented the Georgia Hospital Association Community
Leadership Award. Perry Hospital administrator Lora Davis accepted the award on
behalf of Houston Healthcare at the recent GHA Annual summer meeting. Standing
next to Davis are, left, 2006 GHA Chairman William Richardson and, right GHA President
Joseph Parker.
AWARD
From page 1A
successful collaborative pro
grams.
Working with several agen
cies throughout Houston
County, the hospital provides
one-on-one counseling, sup
port groups, diabetes educa
tional programs and events
for children and adults with
diabetes.
Participants who have
completed the program
have experienced dramatic
improvement in glucose
(sugar) control levels and a
nearly 70 percent decrease
in the number of hospitaliza
tions and emergency room
visits.
A prenatal outreach pro
gram was also developed to
address the needs of low
income, uninsured women
who often experience bar
riers to necessary health
services during their preg
nancy.
The program provides
comprehensive case man
agement including sup
GEORGIA9II.org
ernment, the private sector
and the volunteer commu
nity to strengthen the state
of Georgia s preparedness
capabilities.
The site is divided into six
major sections: Contact Info,
Emergencies and Threats,
News and Events, Latest
Emergency Info, Resources,
and How Do I. Each section
is clearly displayed and visi
tors can find anything they
may need in less than three
clicks.
This information por
tal will provide real-time
weather, traffic, evacuation,
shelter and threat-level sta
tus reports during an active
disaster or emergency.
Environmental
Sciences, College of Family
and Consumer Sciences and
the Office of Admissions
worked to prepare students
for admissions. Other ses
sions led by UGA faculty
members guided partici
pants through sessions con
sidering different areas of
Georgia and how youth are
similar in different in the
state. Keynote speaker
Orantes Grant, CFCS grad
uate and former UGA (and
NFL) football standout,
encouraged delegates to set
goals, get a plan and prepare
for the plan everyday.
Houston County’s del
egates also had the task of
serving as local voting repre
sentatives for annual State
4-H Officer elections.
port, education, and link
ing to services to improve
their pregnancy outcomes.
The program has resulted in
improved pre-term and low
birth weight rates as well
as fewer unplanned hospi
talizations and emergency
room visits.
The hospital’s efforts also
include community screen
ings and health fairs as
well as Senior Care, a health
management program for
seniors designed to encour
age preventive health and
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Resource links were pro
vided by various local, state,
federal, faith-based and
volunteer organizations.
Georgia9ll.org s launch,
held in conjunction with
the state s hurricane pre
paredness exercise today, is
another tool to empower res
idents during an emergency
or major event,
The mission of Georgia9ll.
org is to provide timely, accu
rate information to the pub
lic during an emergency or
disaster.
For more informa
tion please visit www.
Georgia9ll.org.
The Office of Homeland
Security and the Georgia
The 2006-2007 elected offi
cers are: President Abigail
Lloyd (Bartow County),
Vice President Tyler Ashley
(Floyd County), State at
large representatives Austin
Suggs (Tift County), Zenobia
Williams (Seminole County),
and Michael Gill (Worth
County), NE
District Representative
Kitty Ball (Lincoln County),
NW District Representative
Mary Bottoms (Forsyth
County), SE District
Representative Jordan
McCoy (Bryan County) and
SW District Representative,
J.T. Wynn (Thomas
County).
Also, according to a release
from the organization, 4-H
delegates also managed to
work some community ser
physical activity.
Established in 1929, GHA
is the state’s largest trade
organization of hospitals
and health systems provid
ing education, research and
risk management services to
its more than 180 hospital
and health system members.
Additionally, it represents
and advocates health policy
issues benefiting Georgia’s
citizens before the state leg
islature and U.S. Congress
as well as before regulatory
bodies.
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LOCAL/COMMENTARY
Emergency Management
Agency conducted today s
exercise as a facilitated dis
cussion designed around
a worst-case scenario in
which a Category 5 hurri
cane hit coastal Georgia.
The exercise reviewed
planning efforts; refined
decision-making processes;
and identified opportuni
ties for improvement of pre
paredness.
It also reviewed the execu
tion of Georgia s Hurricane
Plan with emphasis on:
gaining and maintain
ing situational awareness;
pre-landfall deployment of
resources; responding to
requests for information and
assistance; requesting and
managing resources from
the federal government and
other states; and warning,
evacuating, caring for, and
informing citizens.
vice into their “jam-packed”
schedules
“Participants were chal
lenged to give back to oth
ers and more than 250 dif
ferent projects were com
pleted,” the release read.
“From friendship bracelets
for Operation Military Kids
to patrotic fans for the holi
days, 4-H’ers found ways to
help the community.”
4-H is the youth devel
opment program of the
University of Georgia
College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences.
For more information
about this or any other 4-
H activity, call the Houston
County Extension Office at
987-2028 or visit our website
at: www.caes.uga.edu/exten
sion/houston/index.
FORCES
From page 1A
the Tuesday Centerville
Council meeting that
“open meeting doesn’t
mean open mic.”
Coy said that the public
is welcome to come to the
meeting, but that the pur
pose of the public forums
will be to get public input
as to what they would like
the downtown area to look
like. After the forums, he
said that the DDA plans to
contact an architect.
Coy said that the author
ity has approximately
$40,000 to work with at
this time and possibly
hopes to partner with a
businessperson for the
downtown project.
7-25-03
It’s been three years that
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hearts. Not a day goes by
that you are i\ot thought
of...WE Love You!
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DONATE TO
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I 808 LAWSON
Why the national
anthem is played
MAJ. MIKE STOLT
Sheppard Air Force Base,
Texas
It was a hot Tuesday
afternoon. I was leaving
Bldg. 402 after updating
my base vehicle sticker.
As I walked toward the
double-glass doors leading
to the parking lot, I encoun
tered a small group of peo
ple standing just inside the
door - two Airmen, a civil
ian employee and one cap
tain.
As I reached for the
dooit the captain said,
“You don’t want to go
out there right now.”
I looked out and saw traf
fic stopped and several
people frozen in the hot
July sun, gazing westward,
some saluting, some stand
ing at attention, and some
with their hands laid on
their chests. No, I don’t
really want to go out there
right now. I looked at my
watch 1630 (4:30 p.m.).
I stood with the group that
now numbered five. No one
spoke.
One Airman made a call
on her cell phone, the other
shifted his gaze back and
forth between his shoes and
the wall. The captain sifted
through a folder of papers.
The civilian and I
watched through the glass
doors as a technical ser
geant stood at attention,
saluting ... a sweat ring
growing on his back. It
seemed to go on forever.
The base loudspeak
ers squeaked out the last
recorded notes of the
national anthem.
The cars rolled forward,
the technical sergeant low
ered his salute. The civilian
pushed our door open and
walked out. The rest of us
followed. When the heat hit
me, I felt fortunate that my
timing had kept me inside
during the long ceremony.
I thought about that day
for weeks.
Images of the episode
flashed through my mind
as if I’d witnessed a crime -
the plate-sized sweat ring,
the glow of the cell phone
on the Airman’s cheek,
the civilian’s hand resting
on the door handle, the
glare of the sun, the heat.
I recently read an article
about the War on Terror
and learned that we aver
age 2.35 American dead
and 10 wounded every day
in the area of responsibility.
That day leapt back into
my thoughts.
A few hours of research
helped me identify the
date - July 14, 2005.
On July 14, 2005, 23-year
old Cpl. Chris Winchester
and 22-year-old Cpl. Cliff
G Children or
TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2006 ♦
commentary! j
by an improvised explo
sive device in Baghdad.
On that day, 21-year-old Pfc. >
Tim Hines Jr. died when an
IED hit his Humvee.
On that day, 34-year-old
Staff Sgt. Tricia Jameson i
was killed by a secondary '
IED while she was treat
ing a victim of the primary
IED. She, Chris Winchester
and Cliff Mounce all died in
Trebil.
We can assume she was
treating Chris, Cliff or
another in their group.
She volunteered to go
to Iraq and had been in
country three weeks, j
On that day, four American >
soldiers died in Iraq and
numerous others were 1
wounded.
On that day, four families >
were plunged into mourn
ing. On that day, I flew
one sortie, sifted through e-'
mail, updated my base vehi-.
cle sticker, and hid from the.
heat behind a glass door. .
Why does it matter that’
I avoided participating in
retreat? 1
Some may think it’s silly.
symbolism, that it’s not
real. An aircraft is real.
A computer, a vehicle *
sticker - they’re real.
I believe that anything that
you allow to move you, or
that inspires those around
you to search their hearts,
is as real as the bomb that
tore Chris Winchester’s
body apart last summer.
Anything that forces an
entire base to stop and lis
ten to their thoughts for a
while is real.
Anything that causes you
to pause and acknowledge
that American soldiers may
be under fire, as you listen to
the national anthem, is real.
As we five stood inside that
doorway, the soldiers killed
and wounded that day may
have been bleeding, scream
ing and dying in the sand.
If my timing is ever again
as perfect as it was that
day, I’ll be prepared. I’ll be
ready with, “Yes, I do want
to go out there right now.”
You may not come with
me, but I’ll bet you think
about it for weeks.
If I’d stepped outside
to pay respect to the flag
and to the four soldiers
who died that day, how
long would it have taken?
One minute and twenty
eight seconds.
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Mike Sheridan, co-owner
of
The Swanson Restaurant,
has been a Kiwanian for
IV2 years
Mike says that Kiwanis gives
him the opportunity to
join fellow Kiwanians
collectively in support of
our community s children
To obtain more information on
how to join Kiwanis, contact
Mike at
926-8843
or email at michael.
sheridan<g>robins. af.mil
5A
| 00036044