Office of Homeland Security-Georgia Emergency Management Agency (OHS-GEMA)
Historical Information
GEMA traces its roots back to the State Civil Defense Division of the Georgia Department of Defense which was established in 1951. As Georgia's Adjutant General during that time, former Georgia Governor Ernest Vandiver, Jr., served as the first director. In 1981, the agency became known as the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. GEMA was moved from the Department of Defense to the Office of the Governor in 1991 and then placed under the Office of Homeland Security in 2003.
Services
GEMA provides the following programs and services:
- Helps communities and schools analyze the hazards that may impact them and develops mitigation strategies and emergency operations plans.
- Operates a 24 hour joint communications center - the high tech nerve center for emergency response activities in Georgia and a key component of the Emergency Alert System.
- Provides professional development, emergency preparedness and field courses to public safety personnel throughout the state.
- Assists communities, schools, day care centers and nuclear power plants in developing exercise scenarios that test emergency operations plans.
- Coordinates state response efforts when natural and manmade disaster strikes and local community resources are overwhelmed.
- Activates the State Operations Center (SOC) with GEMA personnel and and depending on the severity of the incident, includes emergency coordinators from other state agencies, the military, utility companies, and volunteer groups. During an activation, these dedicated people staff the SOC 24 hours each day, allocating personnel and equipment to meet the needs of the affected areas.
- Works with communities recovering from disasters coordinating clean-up efforts, educating victims about relief programs and distributing disaster relief funding.
Divisions and Offices
Operations, Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation, Finance, Terrorism Emergency Response and Preparedness, and Public Affairs/Information Technology are our six (6) major divisions or offices serving Georgia's more than eight million citizens.
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