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Archive for the ‘emergency management’ Category

SnowTractor 2.12.2014_web

Thank you to everyone in the community for staying off the roads last night and today. It continues to be fairly quiet in the city, and most city offices are closed. Winter storm and ice storm warnings are still in place across Georgia today through Thursday morning, and more precipitation is expected to fall tonight.

Remember, if the power goes out or you see a tree or other object fall on power lines, contact Georgia Power at 1-888-891-0938. Continue to charge medical devices, phones and other electronics so you are ready in case there is a power outage.

Staff members from the City’s Public Works department are out clearing city sidewalks of slush, and the tractor (pictured above) is busy clearing streets. Please do your part by clearing the sidewalk in front of your home or business.

As always, call the police non-emergency number (404-373-6551) if you require assistance or 911 for life-threatening emergencies.

If there is a loss of power, the city may use the CodeRED Emergency Notification System to communicate with the community. Please take this opportunity before a power outage occurs to register your phone number here.

About CodeRED:

CodeRED Emergency Notification System is a telephone communication service that allows us to quickly notify citizens of emergency situations requiring immediate action.

All residential phone numbers in the BellSouth/AT&T system should be in the telephone database. All city of Decatur businesses should register, as well as individuals who have unlisted phone numbers, who have changed their phone number or address within the last year, and who use a cellular phone as their primary home phone.

The system can dial up to 50,000 phone numbers per hour and deliver a recorded message to individuals or their answering machines.

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Conditions as of this posting remain above freezing in the City of Decatur, but the temperature is expected to drop late tonight. There is a serious threat of accumulation of ice on trees and power lines tonight and tomorrow, and this combined with expected heavy winds could result in power outages.

As a precaution, please go ahead and fully charge cell phones and medical devices now. If the power does go out, contact Georgia Power at 1-888-891-0938 to report the outage. Georgia Power has crews pre-staged in the area to respond to any losses of power. Please only call 911 in the event of a life-threatening emergency, not simply to report a power outage. You may also call the Decatur Police non-emergency number if you require public safety assistance: 404-373-6551.

If there is a loss of power, the city may use the CodeRED Emergency Notification System to communicate with the community. Please take this opportunity before a power outage occurs to register your phone number here.

About CodeRED:

CodeRED Emergency Notification System is a telephone communication service that allows us to quickly notify citizens of emergency situations requiring immediate action.

All residential phone numbers in the BellSouth/AT&T system should be in the telephone database. All city of Decatur businesses should register, as well as individuals who have unlisted phone numbers, who have changed their phone number or address within the last year, and who use a cellular phone as their primary home phone.

The system can dial up to 50,000 phone numbers per hour and deliver a recorded message to individuals or their answering machines.

Decatur Municipal Court is cancelled for tonight and tomorrow (Wed., Feb. 12) night. Please call 678-553-6655 to reschedule your hearing for a future date.

Most city offices will be closed tomorrow (Wed., Feb. 12), and City Hall will operate with a limited staff. As of this posting, City Hall is expected to open at noon on Thursday, Feb. 13. Continue to check TheDecaturMinute.com for the latest weather updates and city closings.

 

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So far it is just raining in Decatur, but the temperature is expected to drop this evening, which will mean freezing.

Tonight’s Municipal Court hearings have been cancelled. Please call 678-553-6655 to reschedule your hearing for a future date.

A tree is down this morning at Lamont & Vidal, and Georgia Power is on the scene. Power is expected to be restored to the area by 10:30 a.m.

Sgt. Ross with the Decatur Police Department issued the following alert last night:

Decatur Police are investigating reports of seven vehicles entered overnight on the Garland Avenue, McClean Street and Brower Street.  On 2-10-14 at approximately 7:00 am, a resident on a morning walk located a wallet in the roadway and observed several car doors ajar and called police.  Officers canvassed the neighborhood and located seven vehicles that appeared to have been entered.  All but one of the vehicles were parked in driveways.  All of the vehicles were unsecured.  A GPS unit and the recovered wallet were the only things stolen.

It is not uncommon for there to be a rash of entered vehicles during inclement weather, which we are currently preparing for in Decatur.  Please remove all valuables from your vehicles.  Please look out and check on vehicles in the area if you hear something in the middle of the night.  Call police immediately if you see anyone going from vehicle to vehicle.

If you or a neighbor need assistance during this winter weather, please call the police non-emergency number at 404-373-6551.

Please check back here later today for updates on the weather and possible closings tomorrow.

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With more winter weather headed Decatur’s way, city officials continue to monitor the situation. As of this posting, tomorrow’s Municipal Court hearings will be held. and all after school programs will be open. Children and Youth Services is working closely with City Schools of Decatur and an update will be posted here on the Decatur Minute should anything change.

UPDATE:  City Schools of Decatur are now closed tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 11, so all after school programs are cancelled.

Trash & recycling pick up is expected to occur tomorrow as regularly scheduled.

Tomorrow morning’s Red Hatters Valentine’s event at the Decatur Recreation Center is cancelled, as are Tuesday’s evening programs. All Wednesday Recreation Center activities are cancelled.

There is the potential for power outages over the next few days, especially if precipitation freezes Tuesday night. If you have emergency equipment or electronics that need to be charged, please charge them now so you are prepared in case the power does go out.

Please remember to check on your neighbors, and call the police non-emergency line if you or they require assistance: 404-373-6551.

One final reminder: If you have ice melt/de-icer, please go ahead and pre-treat sidewalks in front of your home or business and help keep them clear as the weather worsens. It is possible that by Wednesday morning Decatur could have half an inch or so of snow. Please continue to check The Decatur Minute for weather updates and safety tips.

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But for now, a reminder to create or update your Smart911.com safety profile.

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Did you know today is the 42nd annual Firefighters Recognition Day? Firefighters from around the state were recognized this morning at the Georgia State Capitol in downtown Atlanta.

Thank you to all the firefighters in the Decatur Fire Department for all you do every day to keep our community safe!

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Tomorrow is the first Wednesday of February so we’ll be testing the tornado outdoor warning sirens at 5:00 p.m. The test should last approximately one minute. Should the weather become inclement, the test will be postponed until Thursday, 6 February 2014.

If you have questions or want more information about the siren system, check out the Siren page on the City’s website or contact Police Lt. Barry Woodward at 404-373-6551.

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The Mayor’s State of the City address, originally scheduled for Tuesday evening, will be rescheduled soon.

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City of Decatur government buildings will open at noon tomorrow. This includes City Hall, the Design, Environment and Construction division of Public Works at Talley St. and the Decatur Recreation Center. Evening activities at the Recreation Center are cancelled for tomorrow night, and the center will close early.

Trash & recycling pick up is expected to have a delayed start time of 10 a.m. tomorrow. If sanitation crews can safely get to your rear yard they will pick up trash tomorrow. If they cannot, they will pick it up next week. Please use good sense when deciding if it is safe to put your recycling bin by the curb. If your driveway is too frozen to safely move your bins leave them until next week’s pick up.

While most of the major roads in the City of Decatur are currently clear and mostly dry, GEMA continues to recommend staying off roads. It is possible that roads and sidewalks could refreeze overnight so continue to exercise caution if you decide to leave your house.

While there have been a few minor traffic accidents in the past 24 hours, no one has been seriously injured in the City of Decatur. The community has done a great job of staying safe and warm indoors. If you do require emergency assistance, please call the police non-emergency number 404-373-6551.

Stay warm, Decatur! Photo courtesy of Ashley Hizer

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Decatur’s roads and sidewalks are ICY, so please stay where you are and avoid driving if at all possible. City crews treated roads overnight with salt and sand, but with the low tempatures refreezing occurred. If you decide to venture out for a walk today please be extremely careful, as sidewalks are more slippery than roads in many places around the city.

Today’s closings:

  • Decatur Recreation Center is closed today
  • Decatur Municipal Court is closed tonight. Please call 678-553-6655 to reschedule your hearing.
  • City Hall is operating with very limited staff.
  • The Design, Environment and Construction division of Public Works is closed today, as all staff that made it into work are focused on clearing roads, etc.
  • Tonight’s Town Hall meeting (“Review of the 2014 General Assembly Legislative Session”) hosted by state Rep. Rahn Mayo, state Rep. Howard Mosby and state Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver is cancelled. It will be rescheduled at a future date.

The good news is that there were no car accidents, no trees down and no loss of power in the City of Decatur last night. The few people who were stranded yesterday were able to make it home ok. Public safety personnel were able to do a number of winter weather welfare checks on seniors and other vulnerable residents. (And as a reminder, if you have a senior neighbor, please be neighborly and check on him or her today.)

If you need emergency assistance during this winter weather, please call the police non-emergency number at 404-373-6551.

Please check back here later today for updates on the weather and possible closings tomorrow.

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