CONTENTS
National Weather Service balloons rise to challenge of forecasting
weather 4
WinterEx provides weather planning tools, feedback to participants 6
Help was only a phone call away for Florida during Hurricane Irma 8
Irma evacuees find respite, assistance along Georgia highways 10
Emergency information more accessible to Deaf community during
Hurricane Irma 12
Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program helps protect
Georgians, agriculture 14
Animals loved, protected during disasters
Dept. of Agriculture shelters hundreds of pets during Hurricane Irma 18
Training prepares local, state partners to deal with bomb threats 20
UGA staff, students provide crucial aid during Hurricane Irma 22
The new face of Georgia Forestry 24
On the cover: David Cowan, a freelance Deaf Interpreter and Deaf community activist, assisted in
translating emergency information from GEMA/HS into Amercian Sign Language during Hurricane
Irma. (Photo by Lisa Rodriguez-Presley)