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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