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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 *