Chatham Emergency Management Agency

Chatham Emergency Management Agency
Name	Chatham Emergency Management Agency
Abbreviation	CEMA
Formation	19XX
Jurisdiction	Chatham County, Georgia
Headquarters	Savannah, Georgia
Employees	XX
Chief1 name	[Name]
Chief1 position	Director

Chatham Emergency Management Agency

Chatham Emergency Management Agency is the primary local emergency management organization serving Chatham County, Georgia, headquartered in Savannah, Georgia. It coordinates preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery activities with partners including the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Weather Service, Coast Guard Atlantic Area, and regional public health institutions. The agency operates within frameworks established by the Stafford Act, National Incident Management System, Emergency Management Assistance Compact, Homeland Security Presidential Directive, and state statutes.

History

Established in the late 20th century following major coastal events, the agency's origins trace to regional responses to Hurricane David, Hurricane Hugo, Hurricane Floyd, Hurricane Opal, and Tropical Storm Alberto. Post-event reviews influenced coordination models similar to those used by FEMA Region IV, State Emergency Operations Center (Georgia), American Red Cross, Salvation Army, and metropolitan emergency management offices in Miami-Dade County, Florida, Broward County, Florida, and New Orleans, Louisiana. Over time the agency integrated lessons from events including Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ivan, Hurricane Matthew, and Tropical Storm Irma and adopted standards from NFPA, FEMA National Response Framework, and National Preparedness Goal guidance.

Organization and Leadership

The agency is organized into divisions reflecting incident management practices used by Incident Command System models, with sections analogous to operations section chief, planning section chief, logistics section chief, and finance section chief. Leadership works with elected officials such as the Chatham County Board of Commissioners and municipal partners including the City of Savannah Mayor's Office, county departments like Chatham County Police Department, Savannah Fire Department, Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department, regional hospitals including St. Joseph's/Candler Health System, and state agencies including Georgia Department of Public Health and Georgia Department of Transportation. Directors and deputies often have professional backgrounds similar to leaders at Texas Division of Emergency Management, California Office of Emergency Services, and New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

Responsibilities and Services

The agency provides services covering hazard mitigation, disaster recovery, evacuation planning, sheltering operations, mass care coordination, continuity planning, and hazard mitigation grant management consistent with practices in hazard mitigation planning and public assistance. It maintains emergency operations facilities modeled after Emergency Operations Center (EOC) concepts and coordinates with port authorities such as the Georgia Ports Authority, Savannah Port Terminal Railroad, Coast Guard Sector Charleston, and regional Maritime Administration offices. The agency administers public alerts via systems like Wireless Emergency Alerts, Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, and local media partnerships with outlets like WSAV-TV, WTOC-TV, WSB-TV, and The Savannah Morning News.

Emergency Operations and Incident Response

During incidents the agency activates multi-agency coordination systems used in National Incident Management System implementations, working alongside tactical units from Savannah Fire Department, Chatham County Police Department, Georgia State Patrol, United States Coast Guard, National Weather Service, and FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams. It coordinates logistics with American Red Cross Greater Savannah, Federal Emergency Management Agency Region IV, Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, Georgia Department of Transportation, and utility partners such as Georgia Power and Savannah Electric. Major operations have included evacuation orders, interagency sheltering with Red Cross shelters, mass care in partnership with Salvation Army disaster services, and debris management contracting following coastal storms guided by Public Assistance Program principles.

Community Preparedness and Outreach

The agency runs preparedness programs aligning with national outreach efforts from Ready.gov, FEMA, National Weather Service, American Red Cross, and community resilience models used by CDC public health emergency preparedness programs. Outreach includes outreach to neighborhood associations, business continuity seminars for entities like Georgia Ports Authority tenants, maritime stakeholders, and nonprofit organizations including United Way of the Coastal Empire. Public education campaigns cover evacuation routes tied to Interstate 16, U.S. Route 80, and coastal access points, and utilize partnerships with local media WSAV-TV, WTOC-TV, and civic institutions such as Savannah Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Training and Exercises

The agency conducts exercises and training consistent with Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program guidance, including tabletop exercises, functional exercises, full-scale exercises, and after-action reviews in coordination with FEMA Regional Response Coordination Center, Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department, U.S. Coast Guard, Georgia Department of Public Health, and regional hospitals. Training programs include Incident Command System certification, NIMS compliance courses, shelter operations training with American Red Cross, and continuity training influenced by Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) standards.

Awards and Notable Incidents

The agency has received recognition and participated in responses that have drawn attention from national entities such as FEMA, National Weather Service, and regional peer agencies like Miami-Dade County Office of Emergency Management and Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management. Notable incidents include coordinated responses to Hurricane Matthew (2016), Hurricane Irma (2017), Hurricane Michael (2018), and localized flooding events that invoked mutual aid under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. After-action reports and grants have supported mitigation projects, infrastructure resilience efforts with Georgia Ports Authority, and community recovery initiatives in partnership with HUD programs.

Category:Emergency management in Georgia (U.S. state)