HomeMy Public PortalAboutCOTI_PR20110803_HurricanePreparedness.docPRESS RELEASE: Contact: Tybee Island City Hall
For immediate release (912) 786-4573
Are You Ready Now?
Tybee Island, Ga. – (August 3, 2011) Tropical Storm Emily may be headed toward the Georgia Coast. If she turns into a hurricane, will you be prepared?
Americans live in the most severe weather-prone country on earth. Each year, Americans cope with an average of 10,000 thunderstorms, 5000 floods, 1000 tornados and six hurricanes. This
is on top of winter storms, intense summer heat, high winds and other deadly impacts. Some 90% of all presidentially declared disasters are weather related, leading to around 500 deaths
per year and nearly $14 billion in damage. All Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastal areas are subject to hurricanes or tropical storms. The Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June
to November with the peak season from mid-August to late October.
Hurricanes can cause catastrophic damage to coastlines and several hundred miles inland. Winds can exceed 155 mph. Hurricanes and tropical storms can also spawn tornados and micro-bursts,
create storm surges along the coast, and cause extensive damage from heavy rainfall.
Advanced planning and effective communications are key to our safety in an emergency. Take the following steps to prepare now:
Plan – There are many places on the web with planning assistance materials. Visit Tybee’s Emergency Management pages at http://www.cityoftybee.org/EmergencyMgmt.aspx. Chatham County’s
Emergency Management pages provide additional information and resources at http://www.chathamemergency.org/preparedness/hurricanes.php.
Listen – The City of Tybee Island has several channels of communication to citizens in an emergency.
A toll-free number is maintained for call-in with directions and status updates during an emergency. Call (877) 615-3277 to get the latest information on impending hurricanes, evacuation
orders, re-entry procedures, and services.
Our Citizens’ Alert program is pre-populated with landline phone numbers for residents and businesses provided by AT&T. Anyone included in this database will always get notification
on their regular phone in the event of a major emergency, such as a hurricane evacuation order. Less urgent messages will not be automatically sent out to these telephone numbers. Anyone
wanting to sign up for these notifications on other phones can do so by visiting the City’s web page, www.cityoftybee.org, and clicking on the “Citizen Alert – Notification Sign-up”
button, where the visitor will be taken to the sign-up page where one can create a free login/password account, and then,
using an easy-to-follow menu, proceed to select the types of notices and devices on which to receive them.
On the web, the City will post important notices on our home page at www.cityoftybee.org, as well as on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/cityoftybeeisland) and on Twitter (http://twitter.com/cityoft
ybee).
Follow the Plan – Any of these communications channels may give instructions for staying indoors, evacuating the island, directions to use in travel to safety, locating city services,
and re-entry procedures. Be sure to listen closely to help keep everyone safe on the roads during such a difficult time.
Please plan in advance. Don’t wait for an emergency. Your planning and organization can help keep everyone safe and on track when the need arises.
NOW are you ready?
About Tybee Island, GA.: The City of Tybee Island, Georgia is on the outermost barrier island off the Savannah area coast. With a wild bird sanctuary, over three miles of ocean beaches,
and salt marshes on the back river, outdoor recreation activities abound for visitors to the island. As a key defense point to the important Savannah port, Tybee’s Fort Screven, Tybee
Post Theater, Fort Pulaski, and the Tybee Island and Cockspur Lighthouses combine with the unique architectures of the island’s raised cottages to form a rich backdrop for history buffs.
Attracting a strong artistic community, there are several local supporting art galleries. Keeping the island interesting year round are several arts festivals, the Annual Pirate Fest,
the Beach Bum Parade, St Patrick’s Day celebrations, the Hot Rod Run, the Beach Bash, and the Christmas Parade, as well as fireworks displays on Independence and New Year’s Days off
the Walter W. Parker Pier and Pavilion. The Marine Science Center cooperates with Georgia’s DNR to protect threatened sea turtle species by searching for nests, protecting their eggs,
and making sure hatchlings make it to sea. For visitor information, stop by http://www.tybeevisit.com/, and to find more about the City of Tybee Island, visit our web site at http://www.cityoftybee.
org/.
Tybee Island Mayor Jason Buelterman, National Hurricane Director Bill Read, Tybee Emergency Management Coordinator Jimmy Brown, and Tybee Fire Chief Skip Sasser at one of Tybee’s surge
elevation markers
FLOOD HAZARD INFORMATION REPORT
STORM SURGE ELEVATIONS
Flood Hazard map courtesy Chatham Emergency Management Agency
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