Newspaper Page Text
THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS. WEDNESDAY. TANUARY 30.2008 - PAGE 5A
Are You Adequately
Prepared For A Disaster?
Severe Weather Awareness Week Begins With
'Family Preparedness Day' On Sunday Feb. 3
From the Jackson Co. EMA
Governor Sonny Perdue has
proclaimed the week of Feb 3-9
as Severe Weather Awareness
Week in Georgia. Encouraging
Georgians to practice emergency
preparedness and response pro
cedures for all types of severe
weather events that occur in the
state is the goal of the week-long
observance.
“On Sunday Feb. 3, the focus
is Family Preparedness Day"
says Jackson County Emergency
Management Agency (EMA)
Director Steve Nichols. “Family
Preparedness Day is the perfect
time for every family in Jackson
County to plan and rehearse what
they should do during the first
72 hours of any severe weather-
related event or disaster."
During some situations, such as
winter storms, floods, tornadoes
or hurricanes, it may take emer
gency workers 72 hours or more
to reach certain areas in order
to open roadways and restore
utilities. The benefit of being self-
sufficient for 72 hours or longer
is that you and your family can
survive circumstances that might
be fatal, if you were not prepared,
Nichols advised.
“With a little effort, families can
prepare for all severe weather
hazards affecting our area and
step number one is to develop a
family disaster plan," he said.
Where will you and other family
members be when severe weather
or disaster strikes? Whether you
are at work, at school, in the car
or out-of-town, how will you find
or contact each other? How will
you know if your children are
safe? Severe weather or a disaster
may force an evacuation of your
neighborhood or confine you to
your home. What will you do if
basic utilities — water, gas, elec
tricity or telephones — are cut off?
These are the types of questions
your family disaster plan must
address in order to help protect
your family.
Follow these basic steps to
develop a family disaster plan ...
• Gather information about haz
ards. In addition to your local
emergency management agency
(EMA), you may contact the near
est National Weather Service
office or the American Red Cross.
Find out what type of disasters
could occur and how you should
respond. Learn the community’s
warning signals and evacuation
plans.
• Meet with your family to cre-
With a little planning, officials say families can prepare for the
effects of all kinds of severe weather.
ate a plan. Discuss the informa
tion you have gathered. Pick two
places to meet: a spot right out
side your home for an emergency,
such as fire, and a place away
from your neighborhood in case
you cannot return home. Choose
an out-of-state friend as your “fam
ily check-in contact" for everyone
to call if the family gets separated.
Discuss what you would do if
advised to evacuate.
• Implement your plan:
1. Post emergency telephone
numbers by phones.
2. Install safety features in your
house, such as a NOAA Weather
Radio, smoke detectors and fire
extinguishers.
3. Inspect your home for poten
tial hazards: such as items that
can move, fall, break or catch fire;
and correct them.
4. Have family members learn
basic safety measures such as
CPR and first-aid; how to use a
fire extinguisher; and how and
when to turn off water, gas and
electricity in your home.
5. Teach children how and
when to call 9-1-1 or your local
Emergency Medical Services
number.
6. Keep enough supplies in your
home to meet your family’s needs
for at least three days.
7. Assemble a disaster supplies
kit with items you may need in
case of an evacuation. Store these
supplies in sturdy, easy-to-carry
- Tell Us The Full Cost
containers, such as backpacks
or duffel bags. Keep important
family documents in a waterproof
container. Keep a smaller disas
ter supplies kit in the trunk of
your car. A disaster supplies kit
should include a three-day supply
of water (one gallon per person
per day) and food which will not
spoil; one change of clothing and
footwear per person; one blanket
or sleeping bag per person; a
first-aid kit (including prescrip
tion medicines); emergency tools
(including a battery-powered
NOAA Weather Radio and a por
table radio, flashlight and plenty
of extra batteries); an extra set
of car keys and cash; and special
items for infant, elderly or dis
abled family members.
•Practice and maintain your
plan.
Ask questions to make sure
your family remembers meet
ing places, phone numbers and
safety rules. Conduct drills. Test
your weather radio and smoke
detectors monthly and change
the batteries at least once a year.
Test and recharge your fire extin
guishers according to the manu
facturer’s instructions. Replace
stored water and food every six
months.
For more information, contact
your local EMA or visit these
web sites: www.gema.state.ga.us,
www.srh.noaa.gov/ ffc/ or www.
redcross.org.
NEWS DEADLINE
4:00 MONDAYS
Cont. from Page 4A
speaker wants for the coun
try, and most important, what
specific, logical, achievable and
honorable plan he or she has
to reach that goal. I want them
to be like AAA. I want them
to tell us about the foreseeable
detours; I want them to tell
us about construction; I want
them to tell us the approximate
miles to the destination; and
I want them to tell us about
costs, not only in dollars, but in
human effort and sacrifice.
What will the cost, hidden
and overt, be to bring home the
troops soon? What will the cost
of taxation policies be? What
will the cost of stabilizing the
economy be? What will the cost
of bringing safety to our cit
ies and neighborhoods be? The
questions and costs are end
less, and no one seems inclined
to address these issues. Really,
how could anyone address the
issues without having a divine
ability to see the future. What
can be addressed is a probable
plan, barring no catastrophic
events such as 9-11 or Hurricane
Katrina, to unite efforts of all
citizens to work for the greater
good of the nation.
Tell me, then, candidates and
speakers, what is your vision
of the greater good, and tell
me how you plan to make it
happen. Give me a road map,
detours and costs. Otherwise,
SHAWDUPAWREDDY! (shut up
already).
Claire Gaus is a retired educator
and volunteers in the community
in a number of capacities. She
lives in Commerce.
TRAIN
The Commerce Library Board and its capital raising train” to the top of the mountain -
fund committee hope to move their “fund- $583,035 — by June.
— library Hopes To Meet Funding Goal
Cont. from Page 1A
this year, we will have to consider
inflation," warned Anna Hoover
of the Piedmont Regional Library
Monday night.
The library is in the final stages
of creating a 501 (c) (3) founda
tion that would make it easier
to attract grants and donations
from other foundations and cor
porations. However, it can take
months for such status to be
granted.
“It takes a long time," confirmed
Massey, who indicated that the
group working on the application
is trying to keep the foundation
as flexible as possible in terms of
how it can use future donations.
While the thrust at present is for
the expansion, the idea is that
the foundation could be a vehicle
for raising money for everything
from buying books to adding
equipment.
In other business, Library
Director Susan Harper reported
that a new Yoga class is well
attended, that Sandy Creek
Nature Center will present a
program for 11-12-year-olds in
the near future, that the Spring
Plant Swap and Sale will be held
March 22 and the Volunteer
Appreciation Dinner is sched
uled for March 6.
Massey reported that the sec
ond annual Mother-Daughter
Tea, a fund-raiser for the building
fund, is tentatively planned for
the Saturday before Easter.
The board also voted to endorse
a proposal by the Piedmont
Regional Library to change its
fee schedule. The library opted
for the top of three levels of
service, for which it will pay PRL
$15,000 a year.
For that, the library would
receive three courier stops a
week from the regional office
and no processing fee for new
books. Smaller libraries can pay
$10,000 and get two courier stops
per week and a processing fee
for “non-state books" over 300.
The lowest option is $5,000 per
year for one courier stop a week
and a processing fee for every
“non-state book: over 300."
Commercial Rezoning Denied At Center
By Brandon Reed
A unanimous vote by the
Jackson County Planning
Commission recommended
denial of an application to rezone
16.86 acres on Highway 441 near
Center for a commercial center.
The matter will now move on
to the Jackson County Board of
Commissioners for a final deci
sion at its Feb. 18 meeting.
The application, made by prop
erty owners Tim Brooks and
Randall Kersey, had been recom
mended for denial by the plan
ning staff due to a lack of identi
fied need for additional com
mercial property in the area, as
well as the lack of public sewer
service. The planning staff also
cited a Development of Regional
Impact (DRI) analysis that said
the project was not in the best
interest of the community.
A spokesman for the applicants
disagreed with one item cited
in the DRI about access points
off Hwy. 441. According to the
report, the state department of
transportation indicated access
points would not be approved.
The applicant, however, contend
ed that access points had already
been granted by the DOT.
Commission vice-chairman
Don Seagraves made the motion
to recommend denial.
“I don’t see any feasible way of
developing it like he’s got it, and
I don’t see any reason to even
rezone it if it can’t be developed,"
Seagraves said. “It’s possible that
later on, we might get sewer
down there, and at that time he
could bring it back. But I don’t
see a reason to rezone it."
In other business:
•The planning board voted
unanimously to recommend
approval of a request by Kenneth
Miller to rezone two acres located
at 5765 Jackson Trail Road from
A-2 to R-l, to divide the property
into two residential lots.
•The board voted to approve
an application on behalf of
Southern Company to rezone
280.85 acres on Jarrett Road to
bring it in line with the current
code. The property is the site of
an existing electric generating
facility. A spokesman said the
Southern Company has no cur
rent plans to expand the facility.
The vote by the planning com
mission was unanimous.
Legal Notice
Smita Patel has applied for
a beer and wine license to
sell malt and vinous bever
ages by the package at 517 S.
Elm Street, Commerce, with
an opening date of Feb. 15.
All history checks have been
completed and there are no
negative responses. The owner
of the property is Hometown
Property Owner Inc.
(S
Fareha Rahim, MD
Internal Medicine
We are now located at our new office at
613 Hospital Road
Commerce, Georgia 30529
Commerce Medical Center 1
706-335-9411
\^CR^CDJ3WBS^IGN^HMO/PPO^MERIGROUaAARPUH^J
of Commerce
$z:oo
5 OFF
Ticket Of s 20°° Or More. Valid with coupon Mon.-Thurs. only.
La Hacienda Commerce
173 Steven B. Tanger Blvd.
706-335-7458
La Hacienda Jefferson
605 Athens Street
706-367-5095
The Original Mexican Restaurant! Not affiliated with any other restaurant.
66
ROOF DOCTOR
Roofing & Repair
99
- Metal
- Shingles
- Flat Roofs
- Flashing
- Maintenance
- Inspections
HOMER CARVER
OFFICE 706-677-1986
CELL 678-617-4503
FAX 706-677-1369
WJJC Welcomes:
The Dr. Laura Program
Morals, ethics, and values... Dr. Laura
Schlessinger helps millions steer a path
through difficult life decisions by insisting
that they do the right thing. In an
“anything goes” World, Dr. Laura’s message
of personal responsibility and
accountability has become the rallying
point for millions of listeners.
PROGRAM
Monday - Friday
3:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. v
WJJC Radio - 1270 AM www.WJJC.net 703-335-1270