ATLANTA — While Hurricane Erin isn’t going to be a major threat to Georgia, the man in charge of Georgia’s emergency response says we should get ready for an active hurricane season.
Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne went inside GEMA headquarters on Tuesday to get a closer look at the plans to get metro Atlanta prepared should a storm come our way.
In his first interview in his new role, GEMA Director Josh Lamb told Winne that he’s ready to roll for a potentially busy hurricane season and for big Homeland Security matters like the FIFA World Cup.
“What kind of hurricane season do you expect in Georgia?” Winne asked Lamb.
“Above average is what is predicted, and if we look at Hurricane Erin that’s currently coming across the Atlantic, we saw it go from a Category 1 to a Category 5 very quickly,” Lamb said. “The Atlantic seems to be primed for hurricane season. We know there’s other waves coming after Erin now, which we’re watching closely.”
Lamb is no stranger to making life-or-death decisions. His career includes 27 years as a Georgia State Patrol trooper, including eight years as a member of the state SWAT team and a stint as its commander.
He is now No. 3 at the state Department of Public Safety, director of Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency.
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“I think my years as working in public service has certainly prepared me for the role of dealing with exigent circumstances, and I think part of it is understanding the gravity and the seriousness of the position,” Lamb said.
“The safety, in fact, the very lives, of Georgians will be in your hands in this job. How heavy is that burden?” Winne asked Lamb.
“That’s very heavy, but of course, there’s a great team here and there was a great team here before I got here,” Lamb said.
Lamb says GEMA has improved its ability to communicate during storms, to warn those in harm’s way, and keep in touch with local authorities.
“We’ve acquired and implemented satellite technology. One of the problems we’ve had in the past is in some rural areas where cellular, landline or radio services are not available; communications is a problem,” Lamb said.
But he said people can protect themselves, too.
“Be proactive. I’d encourage everybody to have a ready kit, and a ready kit would consist of things that you know that you’re going to use during an event. That would consist of water, MREs, your medical records, batteries, and flashlights. Have an evacuation plan. Plan on where you’re going to go and how you’re gonna get there. Think about what are you going to do with your pets. If your pets mean as much to you as they do to me, you probably need to find a pet-friendly hotel or maybe some family that you could stay with,” Lamb said.
Lamb said GEMA is aiding the City of Atlanta in security planning for the upcoming FIFA World Cup here in its Homeland Security role.
“When it comes to Homeland Security, is there anything that keeps you up at night?” Winne asked Lamb.
“Sure, the unknown,” Lamb said.
“Where do your values come from? What gives you the desire for public service?” Winne asked Lamb.
“I would have to say one of the major drivers of that is my parents. So my father was a trooper, my mother was a school teacher. It was something that’s been instilled in me at a very early age,” Lamb said.
Lamb said GEMA depends on partnerships with many agencies like the one he used to work for.
He said in the GSP, he knew his predecessor at GEMA, Chris Stallings, a former trooper, now at the Small Business Administration in a disaster relief role.
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