Local emergency management agencies in Georgia are nearing completion of critical facilities studies, which will identify buildings and other structures that are essential to maintaining necessary city and county services in the event of a disaster. This initiative lessens the impact of disasters within the communities of Georgia by providing the means for local governments to highlight and prioritize potential mitigation projects in their jurisdictions.
Mitigation is a key component of emergency management.
It is the ongoing effort to lessen the impact disasters have on people and property. Mitigation involves keeping homes away from floodplains, engineering bridges to withstand earthquakes, creating and enforcing effective building codes to protect property from high winds, and more. To date, a total of 140 counties have received computer systems. In addition to the computer and GIS software, GEMA has provided intensive computer training and necessary data layers. GEMA also provides local EMAs with modem and connectivity software to communicate with a central location accessible to the entire state.