Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6A -- THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS, WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 21, 2007
—Drought Disaster Gets Officials Planning For The Worst
Cont. from Page 1A
ment agencies, health care profes
sionals and the Georgia Emergency
Management Agency (GEMA)
all with roles to play should the
drought become severe, commu
nication will be the backbone of
any coordinated response.
One of Friday’s first goals, said
Carpenter, was “to bring together
the public and private team play
ers.” “Gosh, we’ve already met
that goal,” he quipped early in the
process.
Other objectives including iden
tifying and bringing together “key
players” and clarifying the roles of
various agencies, orienting those
people to the EOC (some did
not know Jackson County had
an emergency operations center),
identifying resources that will be
needed and methods of distribut
ing them and stressing the impor
tance of having a single, reliable
point of contact for information.
Dan Yeargin, with GEMA,
stressed the importance of every
group having at the table some
one who can make decisions.
“In a disaster, the worst thing to
do is to exchange business cards
and try to figure out who’s who,”
he said. “You cannot send a warm
body in here to represent you. You
need someone who can make a
decision, commit resources and
spend money.”
Much of the local management
will begin with Steve Nichols,
Jackson County’s new EMS direc
tor, who will be in charge of the
EOC and the key contact for state
and federal agencies.
“He will be the liaison between
you and county government.
Please, please work through him,”
Yeargin pleaded.
Yeargin said GEMA is already
responding to the drought, but he
warned local officials that they
must “take responsibility for your
own preparedness. The state and
federal governments will come in
and help you meet your objec
tives.”
The key to tapping state and
federal resources are official dec
larations of emergencies, from the
governor on the state level, to
the president for federal assis
Jackson County Public Development Director Scott Carpenter lays out a drought disaster
scenario for local officials during last Wednesday's drought disaster exercise.
tance. Similarly, said Yeargin, local
governments must declare states
of emergencies to activate local
emergency plans and emergency
ordinances.
“The key is to have people who
can act at this table,” he repeated.
He also encouraged officials to
carefully document every expendi
ture related to the drought. “Every
penny you spend, you need to
document, and you need to have a
log to show the outcome,” he said.
“If you want to be reimbursed,
you’ve got to document where that
dollar was spent.”
Drought Forecast
David Stooksbury, the state cli
matologist, and Pam Knox, the
assistant climatologist, presented
a forecast speculating that local
rivers and reservoirs will recover
somewhat during the winter or
spring, but are likely to run dry
next summer.
“Streams will come up this win
ter. Your reservoirs will have some
water. Where we’re going to be
next July, August and September
is the problem,” Stooksbury said.
He also warned that the public
will get “drought-weary,” during
the winter months as they see a
little rain, and warned those in the
room to “be very careful” about
water use during those times.
There is a “high probability,” he
said, that the area is in for a “dry,
warm winter” with rainfall that is
“probably not enough to recharge”
local systems. “The problem is not
getting us to March. The problem
peachmac
macs * ipods * software • set vice
2 SO Epps Bridge Parkway from Ljwh)
7M-2DB-K9D + ptiFilI'mFil com
J
is getting us to July, August and
September.”
Carpenter presented the disas
ter scenarios moving the current
drought forward in two-month
increments up to May 14 with
worsening conditions. Among the
issues raised:
•well-drilling companies arriv
ing from other areas, some act
ing fraudulently. The solution?
Requiring all vendors to be certi
fied by the county government.
•changes in firefighting strate
gies may be warranted
•water may be “allocated,” or
rationed. The enforcement would
be extremely punitive rates for all
usage over the allocated amount.
•the need to establish emer
gency distribution centers. It is
anticipated that drinking water
will always be available as bottled
water can be moved in from out
of state, but distribution may be a
challenge.
•public health could be com
promised if water supply is insuf
ficient to “flush” or to maintain
water pressure or when the water
quality (in the very bottoms of res
ervoirs) is very difficult to treat.
•prisoners in the county jail
might have to be moved out of
state, unemployment could swell if
businesses are forced to cut hours,
and crime could increase, taxing
law enforcement capabilities.
•in the worst-case scenario,
there could be needs for shelters.
Locations have been predeter
mined, said Nichols.
For every scenario, officials
were encouraged to be thinking of
responses.
“You also need to be thinking
of the triggers for these (respons
es),” noted Kevin Farrell, assis
tant branch chief for the EPD. He
suggested that officials determine
in advance when various actions
and responses should take place.
Carpenter pointed out that,
unlike hurricanes or tornadoes,
droughts are slow-moving and not
likely to produce “mass casual
ties.” But he also noted that “it is
really hard to imagine the effect
and what it will take in terms of
providing resources.”
SAL
OPLE
WANTED
Cole Buick Pontiac GMC in Commerce is looking for a few key
salespeople who want to take the next step in their professional
careers. We offer full benefits and aggressive commission packages.
At Cole, you can build a career versus just working a job.
Experience preferred but not required. First year potential $62K.
Call Steve Carter at 706-335-5400
or email your resume to stevecarter97@hotmail.com
H TOIMT1AC ^ BLIBCK' — "
, AjTTlCSft] ■■ -
■' '1 W am Rtf-a-ie u jrtfc
»TJ Ivta*.-] ff Tiueptr jT.Vrf. r" /ivvhwtv fn+ri drw fti
7Cd.i35*$m *