Spalding County Takes Action for Tornado Safety

Once a burgeoning railroad town, now a flourishing Atlanta suburb, Spalding County, GA, hosted a community-wide tornado drill on February 3, 2016. Before the drill began, County Commission Chairman Rita Johnson proclaimed February 3, as PrepareAthon! Day in Spalding County. The Spalding County Office of Homeland Security orchestrated the drill as part of Ready Spalding County’s PrepareAthon! for Tornado Safety.

The day of the drill, government employees practiced their sheltering procedures in the county annex following a press conference announcing the expansion of Spalding County’s tornado siren network. Later, firefighters from Spalding County and the City of Griffin, GA, evaluated local schools to ensure procedures were properly followed during their tornado drills. 

In addition, personnel from the Spalding County Office of Homeland Security conducted site surveys around the community to help local businesses determine the best place for their staff to take cover during a tornado warning.

“Ready Spalding County’s PrepareAthon! helped us to rally our community around the importance of disaster preparedness,” said Kenny West, director of Spalding County Office of Homeland Security, “and we look forward to expanding upon these actions in the future.”