GEMA training

Yesterday was an exciting day for me. I sat through training offered by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) facilitated by the Emergency Manager of Lowndes County, where we learned the process for Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) for individuals, which is the first step toward acquiring FEMA assistance during a time of disaster. It was interesting and exciting for me, since this is an area that is near and dear to my heart. As a storm chaser, I am passionate about weather, seeing the storms, learning everything there is to know about weather, but as any natural disaster victim knows, the human side drives an incredible emotional response in me that has driven me to learn as much as I can about what to do. As such, I trained to be a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) member, which makes me more valuable if I am first on the scene after a disaster, say for instance, if I am chasing a tornado that destroys structures. I would love to pursue first responder training, in order to add more value to a scene, should the situation arise. I have an extensive background in disaster services with the American Red Cross, having served for 5 years as a local Board officer and serving as the the Damage Assessment team lead for a couple of years, deploying for damage caused by Hurricane Jeanne locally. I have studied the same training guidelines that the National Weather Service utilizes in categorizing tornadoes, with regard to evaluating building structure and damage caused by storms. My passion definitely falls within this area, and I plan to continue to pursue any further training made available.

Aside from all that, the forecast calls for a (VERY) slight chance of snow or ice pellets to our south... I'm so tired of winter weather, I can't even begin to tell you.

LIGHT RAIN MAY FALL SOUTH OF I-10 SATURDAY MORNING AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES FROM THE CENTRAL GULF INTO SOUTH FLORIDA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE VERY LIGHT. WHILE A COUPLE OF SNOW FLAKES OR ICE PELLETS CANNOT BE RULED OUT...RELATIVELY WARM LOW LEVEL TEMPERATURES AND THE LOW PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL MAKE FROZEN PRECIPITATION UNLIKELY.

Have a great weekend!
~Dewdrop