Paulding County EMA: Be Prepared When Severe Weather Hits

Announcement from Paulding County EMA:

From tornadoes to lightning to floods, Paulding County is susceptible to a variety of natural disasters. Severe weather is dangerous and can strike with very little warning, which is why it’s important to prepare in advance.

Severe Weather Preparedness Week runs from February 2 - 6, and it’s a great time to ensure that you and your family are prepared.

Each week during the month of February, Paulding County EMA, along with other state emergency management agencies will focus on different types of weather threats faced by Georgians. Paulding County EMA encourages all residents to take a few minutes to learn about how to deal with each emergency.

“In an emergency, first responders may not be able to reach you immediately. Basic services may be cut off, or you may be unable to leave home for several days,” said Paulding County EMA Director, Chief Joey Pelfrey. I encourage everyone to take a few minutes each week as the topics are presented to you, to think about how you would deal with each potential threat and to assess your level of preparedness.”

The following are topics that we will cover over this course of the month in an effort to prepare the citizens of our county.

• Family Preparedness/NOAA Weather Radio Day
• Thunderstorm Safety
• Tornado Safety
• Lightning Safety
• Flood Safety

This week, we will begin preparing with “Family Preparedness/NOAA Weather Radio”. The NOAA Weather Radio is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information direct from the National Weather Service (NWS) office. The NWS issues weather watches, warnings, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day. Weather radios alert you immediately with severe weather or emergency information, when minutes or even seconds count, day or night. The receivers can be purchased at many local grocery and retail stores. If you don’t have a weather radio, we highly recommend each of you to purchase one for your home or business. Those of you who already have a NOAA Weather Radio, we encourage you to make sure the radios are programed and in good working order.

(Image, text from Paulding County EMA Facebook)