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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 4' .... MmaaßEiK §m K Hi jAt jte - ass fg| M wit. m 1m ” w Jflfe*, ■ gv WL 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 I a cLiiylitfJ way, to treat yourielf... I aawllgSOj jD<\n«\che , ||n Che r Ape uric CDass Aqc ix ,. Jgl ec LjWW Oc\y Spc\ Massages, Facials And Much, Much More... Call Us To Enhance Your Physical, Mental & Spiritual Well-Being! an CERTIFICATES AVAILARLE r^appgfl Hini 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. 1010 BALL ST. Downtown Pewty 478-218-7490 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 you’ve been gone but you’re still in all of our hearts. Not a day goes by that you are i\ot thought of...WE Love You! tf/out toiwff wife, cAMdten, tpuuid cAildte/i, yu’a/(/ram/ cAildten, sisb’T./amiiy luufJrie/u/s. DONATE TO GOODWILL. * M www.goodwillworks.org Building lives, families, 00035261 null .« 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. Char-Broiled Sizzling Steaks flreen Petty 1-75 Exit 19« • 997^877 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