Dozens of people and their families showed up to the annual Macon-Bibb County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Preparedness Fair at the Theron Ussery Community Center on Saturday, May 30.
People were able to learn from and talk to 20 different preparedness and safety agencies who help keep our community safe. They were able to take information and materials home to help prepare their families and homes. Some of those included disaster kit giveaways, CPR and first aid training, public safety vehicle tours, and more.
“For the fourth year in a row, Macon-Bibb has shown that they are serious about preparedness,” said EMA Director Spencer Hawkins. “On an almost rainy day more than 200 people showed up to get preparedness information that they can use to keep them and their family safe. I’m already looking forward to next year.”
EMA also gave away 50 free NOAA weather radios to those families who showed up.
“A huge thank you to our incredible community partners and volunteers,” said Special Projects Officer Sophie Rosen. “We truly couldn’t have done it without them. Their dedication helped make this event possible and meaningful.”
Outreach efforts such as this are part of the EMA’s overall work to help create a safer Macon-Bibb County. Other efforts include making sure people get severe weather notifications in a timely manner and get safety information throughout the year.
People can sign up for MBCAlert by going to www.maconbibb.us/mbcalert or getting the free mobile app, and people are encouraged to follow the Agency on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram. They can also download the MBCAlert App on both the App Store and Google Play.
In the past several years, more than 4,000 weather radios have been distributed to Macon-Bibb County residents by the EMA, and the next distribution event is currently being planned for August.
Hawkins also wants to stress to people that follow local media and weather forecasters on their social media channels to make sure they get as much information as possible about emergencies and severe weather.
Currently the entire emergency siren system is being replaced and expanded. The nearly $3 million upgrade will replace the 56 current sirens and add 27 new ones. During the upgrades, the current emergency siren system will remain operational. The new sirens are part of a spectrum of notifications used by the EMA to let people know of severe weather; it also includes weather radios, a phone/text/email notification system, a mobile app, social media, and the local media.