From tornadoes to solar flares, Macon-Bibb is updating its disaster playbook

Macon-Bibb County is prepared for almost anything — even solar flares.

The county’s Emergency Management Agency is updating its pre-disaster mitigation plan, which takes into account hazards that may affect the community.

“If you name it, I think it’s probably covered,” said Deputy Director Robert McCord. 

The plan encompasses long-term strategies for protecting people and property from natural disasters — tornadoes, earthquakes, extreme temperatures and other weather events — and man-made threats, including cyber hacks, active shooters or terrorist attacks, McCord noted.

The plan has been in place for many years but, according to federal law, must be updated every five years. The current plan, first adopted in 2021, expires later this month. Officials will submit the plan to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which must give its approval before the new version is officially adopted. That process could take some time, McCord said, noting the recent federal government shutdown.

The plan is a living document, he said, and the 2021 version will still be used in the case of an emergency until FEMA OKs the 2026 revision.

Every update takes into account new scenarios. One of those included in this new version is “space weather,” McCord said, which plans for solar flares and “coronal mass ejections,” or rapid plasma expulsions from the sun that could interfere with satellites and other communication systems.

Updating the plan is an extensive process, the deputy director said. It requires public input, given through a series of open meetings, and direct conversations with the various stakeholders involved in implementing the plan.

“We want to know what information — such as threats, hazards and vulnerabilities — the public has identified that we haven’t,” McCord said of the public hearings.

In addition to being a practical planning document, a successful plan — one approved by the federal government — also opens up the door to FEMA funds that can be used to prepare for and recover from disasters.

“Whether it’s different facilities that we identify as needs, or if it’s buying a property that gets flooded multiple times because it’s in a flood plain, we can actually use mitigation funds to buy that property and turn it into green space,” McCord said. “We’ve done it multiple times along the Ocmulgee because of places that just continually get flooded.”

The Macon Melody requested a copy of the 2021 plan, which is 291 pages long, but was told by county officials the document would cost $488.30 to produce. According to the county attorney, certain information in the document would need to be redacted, including security information involving schools and other specific response protocols. The county does have parts of the 2004 version of the plan on its website.

Siren upgrades

Disaster mitigation efforts also involve updates to the county’s emergency sirens, McCord said. The county’s existing 56 sirens will be moved from their wooden poles to concrete poles. Twenty-seven new sirens will also be installed.

That project, according to an April 24 county press release, will kick off this month.

Ready residents

McCord said that, as the county prepares itself for potential disasters, residents should also check their own readiness. His office provides a tool to do just that. Visit maconbibb.us/ema to learn more about writing a plan and building an emergency kit.