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March of Dimes
announces grants
The March of Dimes has
announced its 2002 Comm
unity Grant Program offering
approximately $300,000 in
funding, awards ranging
from $10,000—525,000
each.
“The March of Dimes is
awarding grants to programs
that continue in the legacy of
our mission, to improve the
health of babies by prevent
ing birth defects and infant
mortality,” said Etta Ward,
associate director of program
services.
The Georgia Chapter
community grants program
is designed to invest in
projects that support impor
tant strategies such as,
access to and quality of
health care for women and
infants, availability of pre
vention services, and folic
State launches probe of
‘credit scoring’ practices
Georgia Insurance Com
missioner John W. Oxendine
has launched an investigation
into the use of credit scoring
by insurance companies, and
has subpoenaed six insurance
companies to appear at his
office for a public hearing on
Sept. 13, 2001.
“This hearing will gather
information to determine if
and to what extent insurance
companies are using con
sumers’ credit scores in the
underwriting of auto and
homeowners insurance, and
whether companies are en
gaged in the unauthorized use
of credit scores as a rating
variable for pricing of the
products,” said Oxendine.
Credit scoring is a system
creditors use to model infor
mation about you and your
credit experiences.
Using a statistical program,
creditors compare this infor
mation to the credit perform
ance of consumers with simi
lar profiles.
[Water ban remains in effect
Because water levels are
very low in Lake Lanier, the
source for much of Forsyth
bounty’s water, the Forsyth
bounty water ban remains in
jffect.
No outdoor watering of any
cind is allowed from 5 a.m.
intil 10 p.m. seven days a
veek for Forsyth County
Vater & Sewer Department
mstomers.
If you are a City of
humming water user, this ban
s from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.
n addition, customers must
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oodchips
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(Containers (Reasonable rates)
,66 2059 Burnt Stand Rd. I
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acid education.
The purpose of the grants
is to support existing pro
grams and new programs
that address the health care
needs of mothers and babies
in Georgia.
The state of Georgia is
ranked sixth in the nation in
infant mortality, with 8.5
deaths per 1,000 live births.
The national objective is to
reduce this number to half by
2010.
“Our goal at the Georgia
Chapter is to help meet the
national objective and reduce
the infant mortality in this
state,” says Ward.
For additional informa
tion or to obtain an applica
tion, please contact Ward at
the March of Dimes Georgia
Chapter (404) 350-9800 or
email eward@modimes.org.
“There is a very good argu
ment that only certain risk fac
tors, such as driving record or
type of vehicles insured,
should be used when deter
mining eligibility or rates,”
Oxendine said.
“I am concerned about the
potential adverse impact that
credit scoring may have on our
most financially vulnerable
citizens.”
Oxendine will hold a series
of hearings starting Thursday,
Sept. 3, at 9 a.m. The compa
nies subpoenaed for the hear
ing include State Farm,
Progressive, GEICO, Allstate,
Travelers and Southern Gener
al. The subpoena requires the
company to send officials who
are most knowledgeable about
credit history, underwriting
and rating.
Consumers who have ques
tions about this hearing may
call the Consumer Services
Division at (800) 656-2298,
from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday
through Friday.
follow an odd-even system for
water use during the allowable
hours.
For example, if the day is
an odd number i.e., 17
and your house number ends
in an odd number (619), you
can water that day during the
approved hours. Your contin
ued cooperation is appreciat
ed.
If you have additional
questions about the ban, call
the Forsyth County Water &
Sewer Department at (770)
781-2160.
GOVERNMENT
Guide focuses on flood hazards
Educating the public on the hazards
of inland flooding from hurricanes and
tropical storms is the focus of a new
awareness guide released recently by the
National Weather Service.
The “Awareness Guide for Tropical
Cyclones & Inland Flooding” offers a
wealth of information on the inland
flooding threat, including a historical
perspective of major flood events and
preparedness steps individuals and com
munities can take to keep themselves
safe.
“While many people think of hurri
canes as coastal events, the fact is that
more than half of the fatalities in the
United States associated with tropical
cyclones over the past 30 years were
caused by inland flooding,” said Sol
Summer, chief hydrologist in the weather
service’s Eastern Region.
“Educating the public on the hazards
associated with inland flooding will go a
long way toward protecting lives and
property.”
“For a dramatic illustration of the
dangers of inland flooding one needs
only to go as far back as June when
Allison caused more than $4 billion in
damage and claimed 43 lives over a sig
nificant portion of the United States,”
said John Feldt, hydrolgist-in-charge of
the Southeast River Forecast Center.
“In what was an extremely long-lived
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event almost two weeks Allison
dumped over 100 million acre-feet of
rain water on the United States, enough
to supply the water needs of every U.S.
resident for one year.”
Fifty thousand of the awareness
guides will be printed and distributed to
emergency managers and NWS public
safety partners across the country. The
public can view the eight-page guide in
color and download it for printing off the
Internet at : http://www.nws.noaa.gov
/er/hq/flooding/brochure.htm.
June 1 to Nov. 30 is the official hurri
cane season, according to the guide, and
during this time, ten tropical storms will
develop in the Atlantic Basin on average,
with six of the storms becoming hurri
canes.
While many remain over the open
ocean, the United States can expect at
least five hurricanes striking the main
land every three years, officials say.
“Each land falling storm has the
potential to produce widespread flooding
and flash flooding,” Summer noted.
“People have to be aware that even
though they don’t live near the coast,
they can still be impacted from a storm
hundreds of miles inland. Allison was a
perfect example, as was Floyd in 1999.”
The National Weather Service advises
all residents to know their elevation
above flood stage and their risk for
FORSYTH county NEWS Sunday, August 26,2001—1
flooding.
“Do your local streams or rivers flood
easily?” asked Feldt.
“If so, make sure you know your
evacuation routes. Be prepared to move
to a safe place as quickly as possible.”
Feldt also cautioned drivers from
entering areas where roads are covered
with water.
“A large percentage of flood deaths
are vehicle related,” Feldt said.
“You may feel safe and secure in your
car or truck, but it takes surprisingly little
water to cause a crash or float your vehi
cle downstream. If the road ahead of you
is covered with water, turn around and
find a new route. This simple act can
save your life during a flood event.”
Other preparedness tips include stor
ing food and drinking water and keeping
vehicles fueled in case electricity and
other services are interrupted.
Keep first aid supplies on hand, as
well as flashlights and cooking equip
ment. Also, make sure you have a
NOAA Weather Radio with fresh batter
ies to obtain the latest information
directly from the National Weather
Service.
“The bottom line is that people
should be aware of the risks associated
with floods and flash floods and be pre
pared if their area is threatened,”
Summer concluded.
PAGE 11A