Press Release
Gov. Nathan Deal today announced immediate reforms for how the state communicates with Georgians when under a winter storm warning; he also named the Governor’s Severe Winter Weather Warning and Preparedness Task Force, which will advise on implementation of reforms and suggest short-term and long-term solutions.
“Effective immediately, a storm warning will trigger a message to cell phones in targeted areas, as in the Amber Alert system, and advise against road travel,” said Deal. “We will go one step further with school superintendents by emailing them weather condition updates, so that they have the most up-to-date information when determining whether to close schools.
“We will overhaul the state emergency app with shelter information, alternative transportation routes and other emergency-related information. Lastly, as storms approach, I have ordered Georgia Emergency Management Agency to consult with local meteorologists on current weather modeling and predictions.
“We made reforms after the 2011 storm on how we treat our roads, and because of that, we have more road treatment facilities located in more critical areas. All the equipment and the all supplies in the world won’t help if the trucks can’t get on the roads. We’ve got to communicate quicker and more effectively on the front end to keep as many vehicles off the road as possible.”
The preparedness task force will meet in an open forum setting and deliver preparedness recommendations to Deal in a timely manner. It will convene as early as schedules will allow and issue a report within 60 days. An internal review by agency heads involved in emergency response will yield a report and action plan to the governor within 10 days.
The task force members are listed below:
| Name | Office | Position |
|
Bart Gobeil (Chair) |
Governor’s Office | Chief Operating Officer |
| Charley English | GA Emergency Management Agency | Executive Director |
| Keith Golden | Dept. of Transportation | Commissioner |
| Mark Williams | Dept. of Natural Resources | Commissioner |
| Mark McDonough | Dept. of Public Safety | Commissioner |
| Jim Butterworth | Dept. of Defense | Major General |
| Jannine Miller | GA Regional Transportation Authority | Executive Director |
| Chris Tomlinson | State Road and Tollway Authority | Executive Director |
| Glenn Burns | WSB | Chief Meteorologist |
| Markina Brown | CBS | Chief Meteorologist |
| Ken Cook | Fox 5 | Chief Meteorologist |
| Chesley McNeil | 11 Alive | Meteorologist |
| Robert Avossa | Fulton County Schools | Superintendent |
| Emily Lembeck | Marietta City Schools | Superintendent |
| Michael Thurmond | DeKalb County Schools | Superintendent |
| Keith Parker | MARTA | General Manager/CEO |
| Ed Crowell | Georgia Motor Trucking | President and CEO |
| Jeffrey Parker | HNTB Corp.; former Connecticut DOT commissioner | Vice President |
| Anthony Wilson | Georgia Power | Executive VP, Customer Service and Operations |
| Jerry Donovan | Georgia Transmission Corporation | President and CEO |
| Hala Moddelmog | Metro Atlanta Chamber | President |
| Gil West | Delta | Senior VP, Airport Customer Service and TechOps |
| Steve Thompson | GA State Senate | District 33 |
| Steve Gooch | GA State Senate | District 51 |
| Jay Roberts | GA House of Representatives | District 155 |
| Mike Glanton | GA House of Representatives | District 75 |
| Kelvin Cochran | City of Atlanta | Fire Chief |
| George Turner | Atlanta Police Department | Chief of Police |
| Awaiting Confirmation | National Weather Service | |
| Awaiting Confirmation | AT&T | |
| Awaiting Confirmation | Verizon Wireless | |
| Awaiting Confirmation | Metro Atlanta Municipality | |