Latest Disaster Assessment

Here’s the latest Disaster Assessment for Georgia, well over 90% complete:

• Totals (statewide for Georgia)
  • 263 Destroyed
  • 398 Major damage
  • 421 Minor damage
• Baker
  • 29 Destroyed
  • 9 Major damage
  • 10 Minor damage
• Clay
  • 5 Destroyed
  • 11 Major damage
  • 25 Minor damage
• Crawford
  • 7 Destroyed
  • 10 Major damage
  • 16 Minor damage
• Dougherty
  • 0 Destroyed
  • 0 Major damage
  • 1 Minor damage
• Mitchell
  • 0 Destroyed
  • 34 Major damage
  • 16 Minor damage
• Wilkinson
  • 5 Destroyed
  • 3 Major damage
  • 2 Minor damage
• McDuffie
  • 9 Destroyed
  • 44 Major damage
  • 36 Minor damage
• Muscogee
  • 11 Destroyed
  • 59 Major damage
  • 152 Minor damage
• Sumter
  • 168 Destroyed
  • 209 Major damage
  • 140 Minor damage
• Taylor
  • 11 Destroyed
  • 7 Major damage
  • 8 Minor damage
• Turner
  • 0 Destroyed
  • 3 Major damage
  • 0 Minor damage
• Warren
  • 4 Destroyed
  • 0 Major damage
  • 0 Minor damage
• Worth
  • 14 Destroyed
  • 9 Major damage
  • 15 Minor damage

Destroyed: A rating of destroyed indicates the dwelling is currently uninhabitable and cannot be made habitable without extensive repairs that would prove to be too costly; (e.g. total loss of structure, or complete failure to major structural components)

Major: A rating of major indicates that a dwelling is not currently habitable but can be made habitable with repairs; (e.g., substantial failure to structural elements such as floors, walls or foundation).

Minor: A rating of minor damage indicates the dwelling has sustained damage and will require repairs, but is currently habitable whether or not the occupants have chosen to remain in the dwelling following the disaster event.

Assistance in Albany Area

The Southwest Georgia Chapter, with help from the Capital Area Chapter in Tallahassee, Florida, is providing services at three Emergency Aid Stations:

Clay County
13 Pataula Heights Lane
End of Days Crossroads at River

Baker County
Old Courthouse, Newton
Corner of E. Washington Avenue and N. Main

Worth County
County Fire Department
203 E. Willingham Street, Sylvester

These stations will offer snacks, water, and client services, including Health and Mental Health Services. Hot meals served at noon, Sunday. If you have questions, please call 1-866-GET-INFO.

Statewide Disaster Assessment

With disaster assessment almost complete in Georgia, here are the totals so far:

• 189 homes destroyed
• 329 homes with major damage
• 405 homes with minor damage
• 89 homes affected

There are still about 100 homes remaining to be surveyed in Sumter County (Americus)

Destroyed: A rating of destroyed indicates the dwelling is currently uninhabitable and cannot be made habitable without extensive repairs that would prove to be too costly; (e.g. total loss of structure, or complete failure to major structural components)

Major: A rating of major indicates that a dwelling is not currently habitable but can be made habitable with repairs; (e.g., substantial failure to structural elements such as floors, walls or foundation).

Minor: A rating of minor damage indicates the dwelling has sustained damage and will require repairs, but is currently habitable whether or not the occupants have chosen to remain in the dwelling following the disaster event.

Affected: A rating of affected indicates the dwelling has sustained “extremely minor” damage. In this category, most of this damage would be considered nuisance damage such as a few shingles blown off, a couple of broken windows, debris in the yard or on or near the dwelling and minor contents damage.

Preliminary Disaster Assessment

Red Cross Disaster Relief Operation at a Glance Disaster Assessment Numbers as of 3/2/2007
County	Destroyed/Major	Minor/Affected
Baker	14	10
Clay	0	20
Crawford	15	16
Dougherty	0	10
McDuffie	40	5
Muscogee	49	130
Sumter	190	103
Taylor	0	5
Turner	3	12
Warren	4	0
Wilcox	0	0
Total	315	311

Note: Assessment continues in Sumter, Muscogee, and Taylor Counties. We are currently estimating an additional 130 in the Destroyed/Major catergory, and another 145 in the Minor/Affected report.

Destroyed: A rating of destroyed indicates the dwelling is currently uninhabitable and cannot be made habitable without extensive repairs that would prove to be too costly; (e.g. total loss of structure, or complete failure to major structural components)

Major: A rating of major indicates that a dwelling is not currently habitable but can be made habitable with repairs; (e.g., substantial failure to structural elements such as floors, walls or foundation).

Minor: A rating of minor damage indicates the dwelling has sustained damage and will require repairs, but is currently habitable whether or not the occupants have chosen to remain in the dwelling following the disaster event.

Affected: A rating of affected indicates the dwelling has sustained “extremely minor” damage. In this category, most of this damage would be considered nuisance damage such as a few shingles blown off, a couple of broken windows, debris in the yard or on or near the dwelling and minor contents damage.

Southern Storms Overview

Red Cross Workers Serve Survivors of Thursday’s Southern Storms
Operations spread among 29 counties in two states

Editorial note: You can get up-to-the-minute updates on the relief operations in Alabama at www.redcrossal.wordpress.com – and in Georgia at www.redcrossga.wordpress.com – and feel free to push the information to the public on your schedule. For national media, the best contact is the Disaster Operations Center , available 24 hours a day at 202-303-5551.

BIRMINGHAM, Al., March 2, 2007 – The American Red Cross has opened up two disaster relief operations in response to Thursday’s severe weather outbreak in Alabama and Georgia. Twelve counties in Alabama were affected by the storms. Coffee County was the hardest hit with 90% of the damage. Preliminary reports show that 250 houses were either destroyed or suffered Major damage and 500 houses suffered minor damage. In Georgia the storms affected 19 counties with the Americus and Albany suffering the most damage. There are preliminary reports that 250 homes were either destroyed or suffered major damage and 450 homes received minor damages.

In Alabama, three shelters housed a total population of 65 overnight. The Blood Region in Birmingham shipped blood products to hospitals in the affected areas and is prepared to assist in other ways. The Coffee County Chapter is providing meals and snacks to the impacted area around Enterprise, with the help of six mobile feeding vans from across the Southeast. So far, the Red Cross has served approximately 1500 meals in the area. Emergency Communication Vehicles with satellite phone technology have also been sent to the Enterprise area to assist in the recovery and disaster assessment.

In Georgia, Red Cross Chapters in affected areas opened three chapters last night and more are expected to open today to accommodate residents as needed. Those shelters are expected to serve a population of between 50 and 60 people. The Central Georgia chapter will take its shelter trailer to Americus to assist in recovery efforts. Eleven feeding vans are deployed to the area with more potentially headed that way as needed. The Middle Flint Chapter in Americus fed more than 1,000 people just for lunch alone on Friday.

Additional volunteers will be dispatched soon, to begin the task of individual family casework as needed.

American Red Cross has yet to estimate how much Thursday’s storms will cost the organization. Every Red Cross dollar used is a donated dollar. Anyone who would like to give to the National Disaster Relief Fund should call 800-RED-CROSS or contact your local chapter.

All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of these tornadoes and thousands of disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster, please do so at the time of your donation. Call 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.