W
ith colder temperatures
upon us, being prepared for
winter weather and all of
its challenges was the focus
of the Georgia Emergency Management
and Homeland Security Agency’s WinterEx
held at Georgia Gwinnett College on Nov.
8. Representatives from state agencies,
as well as county and local partners,
participated in break-out sessions and
face-to-face discussions about their plans
and preparations for weather events such as
snow and ice storms.
Participants discussed their plans for
a winter weather event, beginning with
the weather forecast. The state’s reliance
on accurate and timely weather when
making decisions regarding sheltering and
mass care, energy and critical facilities,
school closures and traffic operations was
emphasized throughout the exercise.
“We rely heavily on the information we
get from both the GEMA/HS in-house
meteorologist and the officials at the
National Weather Service,” said Bryan
Haines, Emergency Operations Administrator
for Georgia Department of Transportation.
“They do a fantastic job keeping us updated
so critical decisions can be made that
give people the greatest amount of time to
prepare.”
Unlike other weather events where there
are several days to plan a response, one of
the main challenges of responding to winter
weather in Georgia is what begins as rain
turns into snow. Though weather forecasters
usually begin making their predictions about
winter weather approximately 48 hours in
advance, according to Haines, people tend
not to take the message seriously until the
weather system is upon them.
“It’s tough to get people to respond to the
message when it’s still 60 degrees and sunny
out,” he said. “Once that first snowflake falls,
it’s too late to start planning. You (must) have
the plan in place already.”
Georgia state and local agencies have
plans in place, and the WinterEx was an
opportunity for them to review and discuss
plan specifics, as well as lessons learned
from previous winter storms. During the
breakout sessions, participants shared their
stories and how they used past experiences
to better their response for the future.
“During the last winter event, we made
some assumptions about what our staff
would know to do,” said Marquenta Sands
Hall, Executive Director of Safety and
Security with Atlanta Public Schools. “We
learned from that experience and designated
critical staff to ensure the safety of our
students, but it takes having these discussions
to ensure that our expectations match what
actually happens.”
Learning those lessons from one another
in an open forum allowed participants to do
some networking as well, so when winter
weather strikes, they know the person, not
just the agency, to call.
“Establishing local relationships now is
going to be the biggest asset during an
emergency,” said Lindsay Bridges with
Georgia Electric Membership Corporation.
“This is an opportunity for us to do that, so
this is a valuable experience.”
With those relationships established and
preparation information shared among them,
participants were able to leave WinterEx
with valuable contacts and feedback. Armed
with information, they are better able to
address the next winter weather event to help
ensure the safety of Georgia citizens.
DISPATCH