PLANNING FOR THE WORST

Severe Weather Awareness Week provides opportunity to plan From Staff Reports

Polk County residents are being encouraged to keep up with what’s happening in the skies overhead and not just because it’s Severe Weather Awareness week.

As experience has taught over the past several years, the forecast can change from a pleasant spring afternoon to deadly straight line winds within an hour, or turn from mild winter days to snow.

Thus, Polk County Public Safety Director Randy Lacey wants local residents to take into consideration how they will handle future severe weather events, and to have a plan.

“What I see is people become complacent about being ready for worst case scenarios,” he said. “I know we get a lot of watches and warnings for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. They do so for the safety of the general public.”

Lacey said his best advice for local residents to avoid issues during severe weather – the top four being severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, snow and floods – are to have a plan, ensure everyone in the family knows what to do and where to go, and to practice it.

“It’s not enough to just make a plan and tell everyone,” he said. “You have to get where you can react quickly to changing conditions, and that requires practicing over and over.”

Lacey said Polk County gets on average between five and seven severe thunderstorm or tornado warnings a year, but sees much more storm activity overall during the spring and summer months.

Just as much of a problem now than in previous years have been straight-line winds, causing just as much or more damage than cyclonic activity within the county, Lacey said.

In recent weeks, rising floodwaters in Cedartown and Rockmart

provided proof that days of rain showers still bring high waters in area streams and creeks, causing just as much damage as a storm.

All of these conditions and more threaten not only local residents and their property, but also those resources they rely on in daily life. If the lights don’t work and the water isn’t on, Lacey pointed out, it becomes a big problem for most of Polk’s population.

Lacey and other local officials as part of the Local Emergency Planning Committee’s first meeting of 2016 discussed how they might better handle resources in the first round of organizing for the coming update on the Hazard Mitigation Plan. He said those major resources in Polk – such as local water authorities, public safety and public works personnel, facilities and equipment among others – are needed assets when storms strike.

“We’ll need all these things when severe weather does strike to get the job done, and keep the necessities going for local residents,” he said.

However, Lacey made one major point clear when it comes to planning, whether it is on a government or personal level. No one can truly plan for what will come, since any planning made will have to be changed based on everchanging conditions.

As part of planning too, Lacey said are problems not often an issue in Polk County, such as long-term drought or earthquakes.

Those areas, Lacey said, are just as important to have a plan for but are lower on the list than those that have much more likelihood of happening.

Either way, Lacey said local residents also need to keep in mind that if power or water fails during a disaster for any reason, or if they are cut off from being able to access roadways, they should also be prepared for that contingency as well.

He said three days worth of supplies – from non-perishable food items and bottled water for several people and medical supplies and more – should be high on the priority list for those planning for the worst-case scenario.

Lacey said people should also realize that there is always a chance they might have to fend for themselves when the worst-case scenario happens.

“Sometimes if you can’t get out, then it’s just as likely that emergency services can’t get in,” he said. “People need to understand that and plan accordingly to keep themselves and their family safe.”