Georgia Magazine - April 2012 - (Page 16)

COMPILED BY VICTORIA SCHARF DeCASTRO Fighting the storm Douglasville-based GreyStone Power recently fought a tornado, and the cooperative won. Employees worked to repair the destruction in a conﬁned area of Paulding County by an EF-3 tornado. Crews worked from Friday evening, March 2, until 3 a.m. Sunday morning to bring homes and businesses back to life. At the height of the storm, approximately 1,400 homes and businesses were without power. All GreyStone linemen worked to make repairs, as well as three extra line crews brought in from Pike Electric Corp. Thompson Contracting Inc. also assisted with the cleanup. ALANA JOYNER / GOV. DEAL PRESS OFFICE Before disaster strikes Business leaders join Gov. Nathan Deal (front, center) at the proclamation signing ceremony of Severe Weather Awareness Week. Gov. Nathan Deal, in cooperation with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency/Homeland Security (GEMA), recently held a press conference declaring the week of Feb. 6-10 as Severe Weather Awareness Week in Georgia. At the invitation of the governor and GEMA Director Charlie English, Georgia Electric Membership Corp. Vice President of External Affairs Bill Verner joined WSB-TV meteorologists David Chandley and Glen Burns and other business leaders for the event at the state Capitol. According to Verner, the designation and press conference serve as good reminders of the impact severe weather can have in Georgia and the need for continued cooperation among GEMA and Georgia’s electric co-ops in the areas of emergency preparedness and response. Deal encouraged Georgians to take time throughout the week and prepare for unexpected events and practice emergency response procedures for all types of severe weather. In April 2011, Georgia experienced 15 tornadoes that killed 15 people and injured 143 across the state. For advanced weather alerts and information for mobile users, GEMA has created a free Ready Georgia app, which is available for iPhone and Android platforms. It can be downloaded by going to the iTunes store and searching Ready Georgia, or by visiting the GEMA website www. ready.ga.gov. JACQUES VINCILIONE / GREYSTONE POWER The Mt. Olivet Road community was one of the hardest-hit areas during the storm. OPC, McClearen receive annual awards Oglethorpe Power Corp. (OPC) in Tucker was recently named Business of the Year by the Heard County Chamber of Commerce at its annual dinner. During the same event, OPC Community and External Relations Director Diane McClearen was also named Volunteer of the Year for her participation in many OPC-supported community events. More online at www.georgiamagazine.org OGLETHORPE POWER CORP. Diane McClearen 16 GreyStone Power Operations Manager Steve Findley said the damage was “the worst in a conﬁned area I have seen in a long time. Replacing 17 broken poles took a great deal of effort and man hours. Our GreyStone linemen and other employees were on call and responded immediately to reverse a devastating situation.” —Vicki Harshbarger, GreyStone Power Corp. GEORGIA MAGAZINE http://www.ready.ga.gov http://www.ready.ga.gov http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - April 2012

Georgia Magazine - April 2012
Contents
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Liberty Notes
Picture This?
Georgia News
Calendar of Events
Festival Guide
Currents
‘Zamily’ ties
Horses, hats and hospitality
Around Georgia
Head for the border
Travel Guide
Georgia Gardens
Georgia Cooks
Snapshot

Georgia Magazine - April 2012