Severe Weather Awareness Week to be observed Feb. 4-8

Governor Nathan Deal has proclaimed next week as “Severe Weather Awareness Week” in Georgia.
Governor Deal made the designation in cooperation with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency/Homeland Security, the National Weather Service and Georgia’s local emergency management agencies for the week of Feb. 4-8. This annual observance is designed to educate Georgians about weather related topics, including family preparedness, NOAA weather radios, thunderstorms, tornadoes, lightning and floods.
Jim Ellis, director of Grady County’s Emergency Management Agency, says encouraging families to learn emergency preparedness and response procedures for all types of severe weather events is the goal of the observance. “Family preparedness is the focus on Monday,” says Ellis, “Family Preparedness Day is a time for every family in Grady County to plan and rehearse what they should do during the first 72 hours of any severe weather related event or disaster.”
The single event that affects a large number of people is the statewide tornado drill, which is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 6. If there is a threat of severe weather on that day, the drill will be held Friday, Feb. 8. On drill day, an actual Tornado Watch will not be issued by the National Weather Service and the Emergency Alert System will not be activated by radio and television stations.
For more information, contact Grady County EMA at 229-378-2271 or visit these websites:  www.ready.ga.gov,  www.srh.noaa.gov/ffc/ or  www.gema.ga.gov.