Y'all Ready for THIS?

Join CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer in a farewell episode for Sakile Johnson, our AmeriCorps VISTA, discussing the best podcasts of the last year and hurricane preparedness tips! We wish you the absolute best, Sakile! Go forth and do amazing things! We are confident that you will change the world!

CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer and Sakile Johnson meet with Savannah Police Department's Sergeant Jason Pagliaro to discuss all things Saint Patrick's Day in Savannah! Want to know the details of this year's event and how you can prepare for a safe and FUN day with your friends and family? Then tune in and hear about all of the details. Whether you are new to the area or a veteran of the festivities, this quick episode will provide you with tips and tricks on a successful Saint Patrick's Day! 

Join CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer and Sakile Johnson in an open and honest discussion about severe weather preparedness. We discuss why it's important to prepare, how you can recognize severe weather threats and the differences between watches and warnings with the coolest analogy ever- CUPCAKES!

Guess what's (almost) back again?!?! Severe Weather Season is nearly upon us once again. To help us get prepared, Ron Morales, Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Charleston has joined CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer and Sakile Johnson to discuss the science behind severe weather. Tune in for a great conversation on severe weather, how NWS issues alerts, like Tornado Warnings, and how you can get involved!

With the extremely cold temperatures we've seen over the past few days and with more cold temperatures headed our way this weekend, our #WinterWeatherPreparedness theme this month is on point! Tune in this week to hear from CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer and Sakile Johnson and American Red Cross' Kelsey Van-Eyl Goodin to discuss how you can safely stay warm and avoid the devastation of a home fire. “Home fires claim more lives than all-natural disasters combined. Here in Georgia, home fires are a daily occurrence and increasing in number since the start of the pandemic.” American Red Cross Georgia Region Director. Heat your home SAFELY, Chatham County! 

Happy New Year and Welcome Back to Y'all Ready for THIS? Get ready for an exciting new season on your favorite podcast! CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer and Sakile Johnson kick off the new year discussing January's theme: Winter Weather Preparedness and the importance of protecting your P's! Tune in to learn more!

Join us as we hear from the Salvation Army's Major, Paul Egan, and discuss how you can help those less fortunate this holiday season!

Occupational Safety's Leigh Herald joins the CEMA team for the final time in 2021 to discuss holiday safety tips. Whether you are cooking for friends and family or putting up decorations, there is plenty for you to consider in this week's episode. Stay safe this holiday season, Chatham County! 

CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer and Sakile Johnson meet with the Founder of Emergency Info Plan, John Pastore. Did you know that your smart phone has technology enabled that can help save your life? Hear the story of why John created this company (brace yourself, it's a tear jerker) and learn about the free resources available on your phone and how you can prepare for the unexpected emergencies in your life. Learn more at www.emergencyinfoplan.com

Wow....that title is a little deep! But, we are actually talking about how you can drive safely with these ever-changing roads! There is no denying that Chatham County roads seem to always be under construction these days! CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer and Sakile Johnson sit down with Occupational Safety and Risk Management's Leigh Herald to discuss how you can drive safely and defensively in construction zones around our community so that both you and those working in those zones get where you are going WITHOUT injury! 

Join CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer in one of the most exciting podcasts yet! We are joined by The Department of Agriculture's Emergency Management Director, Venessa Sims, and one of the Georgia Archives Conservators, Sigourney Smuts, in an awesome conversation about conservation vs. restoration and how conservators are maintaining Georgia's history, art and important artifacts. #AskAConservator is trending and people are interested in learning about this field of work. Tune in to hear about this fascinating profession and learn some tips on what you can do if your photos, artwork or family heirlooms are damaged or need repair!

CEMA'S Chelsea Sawyer and AmeriCorps VISTA, Sakile Johnson, are the subject matter experts this episode as they discuss the Disaster Faith Network, and even more exciting, CEMA's Third Annual Faith Based Preparedness Summit! If you've never heard of it before or are curious how you and your House of Worship can get involved, Sakile and Chelsea cover it all! Opportunities to volunteer, prepping your kitchen, becoming a shelter, and more!

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month! Do you know the best way to protect yourself in the digital realm? Password recommendations, general cyber safety advice and much more are included in this week's episode with Chatham County's Webmaster and Cybersecurity Extraordinaire, Scott Craig and CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer and Aaron Thompson. Tune in and hear about how you can better protect yourself from cyber threats!   

October is Fire Prevention Month. Did you know that 79 civilian home fire fatalities were reported by U.S. news media from Jan. 1 - Oct. 11, 2021? There are simple things that YOU can do to prevent fire related deaths. Check out this week's podcast with Chatham County Occupational Safety, Risk Management and Disability Services' Leigh Herald as we discuss using a fire extinguisher and changing your smoke alarms this month! #FireSafety #FirePreventionMonth

Chatham County Animal Services Director, Dr. Harper, and animal enthusiast, Sakile Johnson, join CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer in a discussion on preparing your animals for disaster. As part of National Preparedness Month, we dive into what it takes to ensure your pets are ready for anything!

When disaster strikes, everyone wants to know the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How?! Have you ever wondered who was responsible for getting that information out to the masses? Well, look no further- we are it! The Joint Information Center, or JIC- because we LOVE our acronyms, is the group responsible for disseminating the details of events happening in our community. Whether it's a hurricane, tornado or man-made threat, this team will likely be the ones sharing the vital information that you will want to know!

Join CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer and Sakile Johnson in a discussion with Chatham County and the City of Savannah's Flood Plain Administrator's Michael Blakely and Tom McDonald to discuss what flood zones are, how residents can protect their homes from flooding and what they should do to ensure they are ready anything!

CEMA's current VISTA, Sakile Johnson and CEMA's previous VISTA Jada Cossey join Chelsea Sawyer this week in a discussion about preparing children for emergencies in Chatham County. Tune in, learn about what you can do to ensure your children are ready for any type of emergency or disaster in our community!

Ever wonder what Chatham County and the City of Savannah would do to maintain our historical preservation status and re-build our community after a large scale disaster? Well, Savannah Heritage Emergency Response (SHER) is a group that helps plan for the unexpected! Listen in to hear from SHER's Glenda Anderson and learn about everything that goes in to these preparations and how you can even take care of your home after a large scale disaster!

This week, we are joined by the Salvation Army's Superwoman/ Rockstar, Linda James, to discuss how the Salvation Army responds following a disaster. Did you know that during large scale disasters, like Hurricane Ida that just hit Louisiana, the Salvation Army provides feeding resources to the general population? They sure do! They load up their Mobile Canteens and travel through some of the hardest hit areas to provide food and resources to those that need it most. Tune in to learn how they plan for disasters and hear about what they will be doing to support those impacted by Hurricane Ida and how they would prepare to help our community if we were devastated by a natural disaster.

This week, we are joined again by American Red Cross' Bob Sheldon to discuss how the Red Cross responds following a disaster. Did you know that during large scale disasters, like hurricanes and tornadoes, that the Red Cross can provide feeding resources to the general population? That's right! They load up their Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) and travel through some of the hardest hit areas to provide food and resources to those that need it most. Tune in to learn how they plan for disasters and hear about the services they may have to provide to our community one day.

In this week's episode of Y'all Ready for THIS? CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer and Stephanie Cox chat with Consumer Credit Counseling Service's Director, Richard Reeve about how you can prepare your finances for emergencies. 15 years ago, your credit score was only important if you were looking to get a loan. Nowadays, your credit score is a MUCH bigger deal! Your credit score and your overall financial stability can directly impact your ability to find housing, get a job or a promotion and can impact how/if you can recover from a disaster. Tune in an learn from local financial experts about how you can improve your score and hear some tips on how to prepare your finances for an emergency!

Join CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer and Sakile Johnson as well as American Red Cross' Maria Center and Kelsey Van-Eyl Godin in one of the MOST FUN podcasts yet! We are discussing Emergency Kits!!! We promise that you will not only learn some important tips about creating your own kit, but you'll have a blast doing it. This LIVELY group keeps it interesting and even discusses things you will want to avoid when making your kit this hurricane season.

University of Georgia Small Business Development Center's Becky Brownlee and Valerie McElveen join CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer and Sakile Johnson to discuss the fantastic resources available to small businesses in our community and how important it is to prepare for the worst. If you own a small business, or you are thinking about starting one, you will NOT want to miss this episode!

Is it obvious that we enjoy quoting songs from the 90s/early 2000s? Yes, yes it is! It is heating up in Chatham County, y'all! Do you know how to recognize signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion? Tune in, hear about these illnesses from Chatham County's Occupational Safety and Risk Management's Leigh Herald and learn how you can keep yourself cool and safe this summer.

The FABULOUS Jo Anne Oni and Jenitra Tart from the Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Fire Safety join us to discuss the importance of insurance policies, the need for flood insurance and what to do if you have damages to your home after a storm. This is NOT something you will want to miss. Join us in a lively discussion about insurance policies and preparing for the unexpected! 

Coastal Health District's Ginger Heidel joins us to discuss the Hurricane Registry for those with Functional, Access and Medical Needs. The Hurricane Registry is a list maintained by the health department of residents who may need transportation or medical assistance and have no resources such as family members, neighbors, or friends to help them evacuate if a hurricane is threatening our area. Residents must apply to be on the Registry. Those who meet the criteria and are put on the Registry will be evacuated when there is serious threat of a hurricane. Learn more about the program and who qualifies by tuning in now!

Join us as we meet with the Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire's Special Agent Shawn Horace to discuss insurance fraud and how you can help protect yourself and your family this hurricane season.

Ever wonder how FEMA and the President make the determination of a Presidentially Declared Disaster? Damage Assessment, on a local level, is what makes it all possible! Listen in to hear how damage assessment is conducted here in Chatham County and how it has evolved over the last five years. It really is a fascinating process and the team behind it works very hard to make it all happen.

CEMA Director Dennis Jones takes a deep dive into Chatham County's Re-Entry Program. As the title states, re-entry following an evacuation is complicated. This week's episode will explain the overall structure of re-entry for the state of Georgia and Chatham County. Please note: each hurricane evacuation and re-entry will be different, by nature, and will depend on the storm's destruction to our community. Learn more by listening in!

One of the most frequent questions that we get regarding a hurricane evacuation is about the contraflow of I-16. Well, we brought the experts to you in this episode with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)! Listen in and hear about how the contraflow decision is made and what the process looks like.

Welcome to hurricane season, Chatham County! In this episode we discuss how you can stay informed this hurricane season. Between phone apps, text message alerts, NOAA weather radios, official social media account and all of the other options available these days, there is no excuse as to why you aren't informed! Be sure that your sources are credible and provide you accurate, timely and consistent updates!

CEMA's Seth Sawyer and Chelsea Sawyer meet with Kelsey Van-Eyl Goodin and Bob Sheldon from the American Red Cross to discuss shelter life during a hurricane evacuation. While this is something we certainly hope that our community will never have to do, it's worth listening in to hear what life would be like in a Red Cross shelter this hurricane season.

Believe it or not, we are in the midst of Hurricane Preparedness Week! Join CEMA's Lareecia Mance and Chelsea Sawyer in a conversation with the National Weather Service's Ron Morales. We will discuss Hurricane Season and what you should know about the hazards that may exist in Chatham County during a tropical weather event!

Team Chatham employees play a large role in organizing a hurricane response in our community. Internal Audit Director, Jeannie Alday, and Project Manager, Kelvin Lewis, join CEMA staff to discuss the County's Evacuation Assembly Area (EAA). The EAA is a resource available during a hurricane evacuation that helps residents with no transportation resources evacuate to a safe location.

Yes, that's right, we said it....EVACUATION. If we say it, it won't happen, right? Join us in this week's discussion on Hurricane Evacuation Decision Making. CEMA's Director- Dennis Jones, Office Manager- Stephanie Cox and Outreach Coordinator- Chelsea Sawyer, have an open and honest discussion about hurricane evacuations and the work that goes in to making that decision for our community. Tune in and learn all about the E word here in Chatham County!

Join CEMA's Dream Team and Disaster Movie Enthusiasts- Chelsea Sawyer, Stephanie Cox and Director Dennis Jones in a lively discussion of the 1996 movie TWISTER! Learn about the amazing film and hear from an emergency management expert on the real life potential of some of the infamous scenes from this classic disaster movie! You won't want to miss this episode!

CEMA's newest team member, Lareecia Mance, and Chelsea Sawyer chat with Safety Sam- Safe Kids Savannah's Program Coordinator! Learn about how you can help your children prepare and prevent common childhood injuries. Be sure to tune in and join in on the fun!

Georgia Tech and CEMA join forces to discuss the Smart Sea Level Sensors Project. Coastal flooding represents a growing threat to the City of Savannah and areas throughout Chatham County. The Smart Sea Level Sensors project is a partnership between CEMA officials, City of Savannah officials, and Georgia Tech scientists and engineers who are working together to install a network of internet-enabled sea level sensors across Chatham County. The real-time data on coastal flooding will be used for emergency planning and response.

United Way of the Coastal Empire's Volunteer Director, Laurie Humphries, joins us for an in-depth discussion of the Volunteer Department's online database and how YOU can get involved in National Volunteer Month! Tune in and learn how you can help now AND after a disaster in Chatham County!

Did you know that there are agencies within Chatham County and the state whose sole purpose is to organize voluntary disaster relief? Organizations like the Georgia VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) and CEDRC (Coastal Empire Disaster Recovery Committee) are here to provide services and help make our community whole after a disaster. Take a few minutes today to learn about how YOU can be part of the solution after a disaster!

CEMA's Assistant Director, Randall Mathews and Operations Specialist Aaron Thompson join to discuss the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) positions. What roles are filled in an EOC and who staffs them? Tune in to find out!

CEMA's Director, Dennis Jones, serves as the Subject Matter Expert in this week's episode and discusses the role of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Chatham County. Tune in to learn all things EOC in part one of this two part series.

CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer converses with the American Red Cross Disaster Program Manager, Kelsey VanEyl-Godin, and CEMA's intern, Tyler Haithcock about all things Red Cross, preparedness and response. Learn what is takes to be "Red Cross Ready" and how you can join in on the fun in our upcoming virtual training opportunity!

CEMA and the Humane Society for Greater Savannah joined together in this episode to discuss how to prepare your furry family members for emergencies or disasters. Yes, even your pets should be included in your emergency plans. Take the first step and listen in to see how you can ensure your ENTIRE family is ready for anything.

In this episode, CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer and Taylor Sanchez meet with Georgia Power's Hollis Rish to discuss power outages caused by severe weather in Chatham County. Ever want to know what Georgia Power does to prepare for weather related outages and how they prioritize restoration? Join us and find out!

This week, CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer is joined by staff from LIFE, Inc- Living Independently For Everyone to discuss how those with Functional and Access needs can better prepare for severe weather, like tornadoes. As we have all seen over the last year, disasters don't discriminate and everyone should take time to prepare!

Severe weather, like tornadoes, are a known threat in Chatham County. Over the last several years, we have seen our fair share of them. In this week's episode, Chelsea Sawyer and Aaron Thompson interview CEMA Director Dennis Jones on all things tornado preparedness and Chatham County's Outdoor Warning System.

Join CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer and Taylor Sanchez in a conversation with Ron Morales of the National Weather Service in Charleston, SC to discuss the Skywarn Storm Spotter Training Program and how YOU can help your community during severe weather. Many do not realize that local residents can play a vital role in National Weather Service warnings by providing "ground truth" during severe weather. Listen and learn with NWS and CEMA today!

Join CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer in a blast from the past with two former CEMA contract employees from the VISTA- Volunteers in Service to America- program! Through a partnership with Step Up Savannah, CEMA was able to work with VISTA to find two spectacular individuals to help with community outreach and disaster recovery. Hear about their stories and also learn about how you may be able to follow in their footsteps in 2021.

CEMA's Chelsea Sawyer is joined by Chatham County Public Information Office's Abby Murphy and Chatham County's Safety Training Manager, Leigh Herald, in a discussion about hazards within your home. Learn about the most common hazards and how you can avoid them to ensure you and your family are safe! 2021 is already off to a rocky start, let's make it the best we can by being as safe as possible in our homes!