Governor Nathan Deal and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency today introduced an upgraded version of the state’s emergency mobile app, Ready Georgia, designed to help Georgians stay safe and informed during emergencies. Upgrading the app was one of the recommendations of the governor’s Severe Winter Weather Warning and Preparedness Taskforce.

“When severe weather hit our state this year, I called on our emergency management agency to upgrade the state’s emergency app with shelter information, alternative transportation routes and other emergency-related information,” Deal said. “The Ready Georgia app already served as a good resource for Georgians, but now that its capabilities have been expanded it will keep us better informed when emergency situations arise. I appreciate the cooperative efforts of all involved in this process, and I encourage everyone to download this app in advance of future weather-related emergencies.”

Launching just in time for the start of hurricane season, the upgraded Ready Georgia app features geo-targeted severe weather and emergency alerts that will notify users’ phones before disasters strike. The app also includes traffic information, including a live traffic map with incident reports straight from the Georgia Department of Transportation. Finally, an enhanced shelters map displays the location of open Red Cross shelters as well as approved “good Samaritan” shelters, and provides directions from the users’ current location.

“This was a collaborative process, and we’d like to thank all the organizations that partnered with us to provide information and feedback during development,” said GEMA Director Charley English. “This app is an important tool in our ability to communicate with Georgians and help them stay informed, and we are really pleased with the new features added as part of this upgrade.”

In addition to the new features, users will still be able to keep checklists of emergency supplies, create customized disaster plans for their families, check flood risk levels and historical tornado data near their location, and find contact information for their local emergency management agencies.

GEMA worked in partnership with the National Weather Service, GDOT, Georgia Tech and The Weather Channel during the app’s development.

To download the Ready Georgia mobile app, visit www.ready.ga.gov/mobileapp. For more information on how to prepare for severe weather, visit www.ready.ga.gov. To learn about specific risks in your area, contact your local emergency management agency.

About Ready Georgia

Ready Georgia is a statewide campaign designed to educate and empower Georgians to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, pandemic outbreaks, potential terrorist attacks and other large-scale emergencies. The campaign is a project of the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and provides a local dimension to Ready America, a broader national campaign. Ready Georgia aims to prepare citizens for maintaining self-sufficiency for at least 72 hours following an emergency, and uses an interactive Web site, online community toolkit, broadcast and print advertising and public awareness media messaging to reach its audiences. Ready Georgia is also on Facebook and YouTube.

Is your emergency plan for your home and your work prepared, and is it up to date?  Do you know what to do in case of an emergency at work?  Is your home one of the 50+% in the U.S.A. that has no emergency plan?  Do you know what steps to take to start an emergency plan? Here are just a few guidelines to help you prepare your home or office in case of an emergency.

For additional tips and ideas, check out Ready Georgia.

Supply Checklist for Severe Weather emergencies: 

• Do you have a stored water supply of at least 3 gallons per day per person?
• Do you have a 3 day non-perishable food supply for your family?
• Do you have a manual can opener, batteries, flashlights and a NOAA alert radio?
• Do you have a fully stocked First Aid kit?
• Are you prepared for a cold weather emergency if the power goes out?
• Are you familiar with your local community’s or agency’s emergency plans, warning signals, evacuation routes and locations of emergency shelters.

Fire & Medical emergency preparation for your location or home:

• Are there two ways out of your home or office?
• Have you established a meeting point once you have evacuated?
• Do you have a First Aid kit?
• Are emergency phone numbers posted at every phone?
• Do you know who has First Aid training at your location?
• Do you have a fire extinguisher? If so, does your family know where it is and how to use it?

Flooding preparation:

• Is your home located in a flash-flood-prone area? To find out, contact your county planning department.
• Have you planned or practiced a flood evacuation route with your family?
• Do you know what items you want to take with you during an evacuation?
• Do you have emergency contact numbers in case roads are flooded in your area or at your location? Have you identified that out-of-town family member or friend who will serve as the family contact in case your family is separated during a flood?
• Have you identified potential home hazards and know how to secure or protect them before the flood strikes?
• Have you identified that out-of-town family member or friend who will serve as the family contact in case your family is separated during a flood?

This is just a short list of items to consider as you begin to develop your emergency preparation plan. A few minutes of preparation can save a life or make you far more comfortable in case of an emergency situation.

To promote the importance of preparing before disasters strike, Gov. Nathan Deal – in cooperation with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency/Homeland Security’s Ready Georgia campaign – is encouraging statewide participation in National Preparedness Month this September. Ready Georgia and local emergency management agencies statewide are hosting a variety of events all month to raise awareness and encourage more people to prepare for emergencies.

National and international disasters, ranging from Ebola to wildfires to major earthquakes, have dominated the headlines in recent weeks. Plus, we are entering the most active month of hurricane season. Governor Nathan Deal has proclaimed September as National Preparedness Month in Georgia – a great time to make sure you and your loved ones are disaster-ready. This year’s theme is “Be Disaster Aware; Take Action to Prepare.”

“Knowing the appropriate way to prepare for and respond to disaster can help you survive the emergency and recover faster,” said Lisa Janak Newman, public information officer with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency/Homeland Security (GEMA). “It can also help reduce the fear and anxiety that accompany disasters.”

To learn more about how you can be more prepared for an emergency, check out the Ready Georgia mobile app and visit www.ready.ga.gov.