Local

DeKalb County Asks Faith Leaders to Help Prepare for Emergencies

April 15th, 2013

Two tornadoes recently touched down in North Georgia during a storm system. During this active tornado season one local county today reached out to faith leaders in an effort to keep more residents out of harm’s way.

The DeKalb County Emergency Management Agency encouraged faith leaders attending a forum at the Callenwolde Arts Center to sign up for a high-speed notification system known as CodeRed. The system notifies residents in the path of severe weather by calling or texting them after a tornado, severe thunderstorm or flash flood warning has been issued. Lieutenant Craig Medlin is Deputy Director of the county’s emergency management agency. He says getting churches on board with the system is crucial during tornado season.

“They have a good outreach. They have a large congregation. It’s a good way for us to get more numbers out quickly to the neighborhood. We’re trying to make sure everybody signs up for CodeRed to make sure they’re protected in another storm or disaster.”

It’s a message that Pastor Collette L. Gumby with Green Pastures Christian Ministries in Decatur plans to take back to her two-thousand person congregation.

“It can help us because we need to understand how to have the proper warning, be well-informed so that we can protect lives and cause people to make the right decisions at the right time.”

Those attending were also encouraged to purchase battery-powered weather radios. That way they can receive emergency information when their power goes out or are in areas of their homes without good cellphone reception. DeKalb County officials say residents can sign up for CodeRed by visiting the county’s website. The preparedness event comes after a tornado touched down and caused damage to roofs and homes in Haralson County on April 11. Later in the same evening, another tornado damaged parts of Lumpkin and Hall counties.

The CodeRED web site provides information about their services for emergency weather notification, high-speed community notifications (such as for a municipality, a college, or a hospital), K-12 schools, utilities, and others services for at-risk individuals or corporate management under emergency conditions.