Winter Weather Preparedness Week begins December 4

Published 3:59 pm Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Staff Reports

(ATLANTA) – The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, in partnership
with the National Weather Service, is preparing for Winter Weather Preparedness Week on Dec. 4-8.
Georgians will be encouraged to learn about winter weather threats, review or create a family
communications plan and consider what items are best for their Ready Kits in preparation for the
potential inclement weather this winter.
“Now is the ideal time to start thinking and preparing for any emergency this upcoming season due
to the winter months in Georgia being so unpredictable,” said GEMA/HS Director Chris Stallings. “In
previous years, we’ve seen extreme cold, snow, ice and freezing rain, which is why we encourage
everyone to use WWPW to prepare and educate themselves on how to respond before, during and
after winter weather occurs.”
Winter Weather Preparedness Week is designed to raise awareness of winter weather hazards and
reinforce understanding of winter weather terminology. GEMA/HS will distribute winter weather
preparedness information via social media channels and provide toolkits to local emergency
management directors for sharing this information in their counties all weeklong during the WWPW
campaign.

Each day of the campaign will address the following topics:

  • Monday, Dec. 4: Winter Weather in Georgia – learn about winter weather hazards that can impact
    the state of Georgia.
  • Tuesday, Dec. 5: Winter Weather Terminology – learn about winter weather “alerts” (watches,
    warnings and advisories) and what they mean.
  • Wednesday, Dec. 6: Winter Weather Preparation Tips – learn how to best prepare for winter weather
    events, and put together a Ready Kit while making a plan before winter weather strikes.
  • Thursday, Dec. 7: Winter Weather Driving Tips/Safety — learn “best practices” for driving (if
    necessary) in winter weather conditions and how to pack a mobile Ready Kit.
  • Friday, Dec. 8: Winter Weather Outlook for 2023-24 season — resources for learning where and how
    to stay informed of weather forecasts.

Residents are encouraged to visit gema.georgia.gov/plan-prepare/ready-georgia for more
information on winter weather preparedness tips.