Tranquil Pines & Rock Creek Cove Emergency Information Calendar

Transcription

1 2013 Tranquil Pines & Rock Creek Cove Emergency Information Calendar

2 Dear Neighbor, At Georgia Power safety is priority one. That includes the safety of our employees and most importantly, the safety of you and your family. The 2013 Tranquil Pines and Rock Creek Cove Emergency Information Calendar contains special information you would need in the unlikely event of a dam emergency at Bartlett s Ferry Dam or Goat Rock Dam. Georgia Power operates six hydroelectric dams on the Chattahoochee River upstream of Phenix City, Alabama and Columbus, Georgia. The facilities, from north to south, consist of the Langdale, Riverview, Bartlett s Ferry, Goat Rock, Oliver, and North Highlands projects. You are receiving this information calendar because you live downstream of Goat Rock Dam. If a dam failure or high flow event were to occur at Bartlett s Ferry Dam or Goat Rock Dam, your area could be flooded relatively quickly. Public notification for evacuation during flood events is normally handled by local emergency management and first responders. To supplement and enhance the way you and the other residents of Tranquil Pines are notified, Georgia Power has installed two warning sirens. This calendar provides information about what you should do, where you should go, and who you should contact, if the sirens are activated. Bartlett s Ferry Dam There are a couple of items that we would like for you to take special note of with the calendar and accompanying information. The Special Needs Card located in the back is to be used by you or anyone at your location who may have a physical condition that would require special assistance in the event of an evacuation. Please complete and return the card to ensure proper assistance. The information provided will be forwarded on to the Lee County Emergency Management Agency. Also, the sirens are tested the first Wednesday of each month at about 1:00 P.M. This is included in the information that follows but we wanted to remind you of this so you will know when to listen for the weekly test and why it is being sounded. This information calendar will be provided yearly and can also be viewed online at If you have any questions about the information in the calendar, please contact the Bartlett s Ferry Land Management Office at (706) Sincerely, Goat Rock Dam Keith Hill Lake Resources Manager Georgia Power Company

3 Warning Siren Information Georgia Power installed two warning sirens in the Tranquil Pines area to warn residents in case of an unlikely dam failure event. This area is located below Bartlett s Ferry and Goat Rock Dams on the Chattahoochee River. Due to the proximity of the Tranquil Pines and Rock Creek Cove areas to Goat Rock Dam, the sirens were installed to supplement the notification that normally occurs through local emergency management and first responders. The dams are monitored by on-site plant personnel during the work day and from the Bartlett s Ferry Control Room 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, using numerous remote cameras. In addition, sensors continuously monitor water levels above and below both dams. An alarm will sound in both control rooms if the sensors indicate an unusual change in water level. Plant personnel will activate the warning sirens if an uncontrolled release of water is detected that could lead to flooding in Tranquil Pines and Rock Creek Cove. During an emergency, the siren will sound for at least three minutes and will continue to be sounded as long as necessary. Siren testing of the Georgia Power warning system is conducted at about 1 P.M. on the first Wednesday of each month. The sirens are sounded for about 20 to 30 seconds. The sirens provide a loud, single tone sound burst similar to the sound from a weather siren. Testing follows the Lee County weather siren testing at 12:00 P.M. so residents are aware of the distinct sound of each siren. A horn is also sounded at Goat Rock Dam when water is released just before power generation. This should not be confused with the warning sirens in Tranquil Pines. The distance of the horn from your area would make the sound much quieter than the warning sirens and it has a distinct horn sound as compared to the wail of the sirens in your area. WHAT TO DO IF YOU HEAR SIREN If you hear the sirens, you should evacuate immediately. Quickly gather your personal belongings (wallet, purse, keys, cell phone, etc.) and begin moving towards higher ground. Do not attempt to load your car with items from your residence before evacuating. The best path will likely be towards Lee County Road 318 (River Road) using the various roads out of Tranquil Pines and Rock Creek Cove, away from Lake Oliver. An evacuation map is included with this calendar that shows the approximate limits of flood waters for the model used to simulate a dam failure. Please note that this is just one model and all floods are different. However, the map provides a good indication as to where residents need to go if they hear the siren. The flood limits shown are very similar to record floods related to weather that have occurred in your area, if you have experienced these events. You should move beyond the flood limits shown, whether you are driving or walking. The quickest path to higher ground by foot may be different than if driving. Once you are outside of the expected flood zone, do not go back into the Tranquil Pines or Rock Creek Cove area until you are informed that it is safe to do so from the local emergency management agency. Do not drive through standing or moving water. Stay put on dry land even if you are isolated at a safe location by the flood. Emergency management will assist you immediately or they may wait until the flood recedes, if it is expected to drop quickly. WHO TO CONTACT Once you have evacuated, contact the Lee County Sheriff at (334) , advise them of your location, and inform them of any emergency or medical needs you may have. For preparedness information or shelter locations, contact the Lee County Emergency Management Agency at (334) for further information. BE PREPARED. Being prepared for an emergency is the best way to ensure your family s protection. 1. Be sure that all household members are familiar with the warning sirens. 2. Sit down with family members and go over emergency evacuation routes. Prepare both an evacuation route via vehicle and on foot. 3. Practice the safest routes from your home to higher, safe ground. 4. Set up a family meeting place, in the event that members are separated. 5. Have an out-of-area contact person for family members to call.

4 BARTLETT S FERRY AND GOAT ROCK DAMS Both Bartlett s Ferry and Goat Rock Dams are well-maintained concrete dams used to create clean, hydroelectric energy. The dams use the power of falling water to turn turbines to create clean, renewable energy. The dams are regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Dam safety inspections are completed weekly by on-site staff, quarterly by Georgia Power Dam Safety Engineers, and annually by FERC. These inspections are augmented every five years by comprehensive evaluations by independent dam safety specialty consultants hired by Georgia Power. These thorough efforts are to ensure that the dams comply with federal dam safety regulations and engineering requirements. Both dams, as are all Georgia Power dams, are deemed safe according to FERC engineering standards. WestPoint Langdale Lanett Riverview Bartletts Ferry Goat Rock Oliver North Highlands City Mills Eagle Phenix Phenix City Mulberry Creek Columbus Upatoi Creek Georgia Bartlett s Ferry Georgia Power Company Commercial Operation 1926 Elevation 521 ft Capacity 173 MW Goat Rock Georgia Power Company Commercial Operation 1912 Elevation 404 ft Capacity 28 MW Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) are maintained for all Georgia Power hydroelectric dams, including Bartlett s Ferry and Goat Rock Dams. These plans contain actions to be taken in the unlikely event of a dam emergency. The EAPs are developed and maintained in coordination with local emergency management and first responders. Georgia Power representatives meet with the various emergency agencies annually to make sure they stay informed about the EAPs and to maintain coordination with the agencies. With respect to Tranquil Pines and Rocky Creek Cove, the Lee County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) has helped Georgia Power develop this information calendar and will be ready to assist you if needed. Alabama Walter F. George Chattahoochee River Hodchodkee Creek Pataula Creek Georgia Power Corps of Engineers Private Tranquil Pines and Rock Creek Cove

5

6

7 January Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday New Year s Day Emergency Siren Test Martin Luther King Jr. s Birthday

8

9 February Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Groundhog Day Emergency Siren Test Ash Wednesday Valentine s Day President s Day

10

11 March Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Emergency Siren Test Daylight Savings Time Begins St. Patricks Day First Day of Spring Easter 31 Passover Good Friday

12

13 April Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday April Fool s Day Emergency Siren Test Earth Day Administrative Professional s Day

14

15 May Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Emergency Siren Test Cinco De Mayo Mother s Day Armed Forces Day Memorial Day

16

17 June Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Emergency Siren Test Flag Day Father s Day First Day of Summer

18

19 July Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Emergency Siren Test Independence Day

20

21 August Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Emergency Siren Test

22

23 September Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Labor Day Emergency Siren Test Rosh Hashana Yom Kippur First Day of Autumn 29 30

24

25 October Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Emergency Siren Test Columbus Day Halloween

26

27 November Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Daylight Savings Time Ends Emergency Siren Test Veteran s Day First Day of Chanukah Thanksgiving

28

29 December Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Emergency Siren Test Last Day of Chanukah First Day of Winter Christmas Eve Christmas New Year s Eve

30

31 Special Needs Card Please complete and return if needed Some people may need special help if there is an emergency at Bartlett s Ferry or Goat Rock Dam. Please fill out and mail the Special Needs Card if you, or someone you know: needs help to travel. has a physical or mental condition which requires assistance. Fill out a separate card for each person who needs special help in an emergency. Please type or print as clearly as you can. If you want more of these cards, check that space below and tell how many you need and where they should be sent. Name of person who needs help: Home address (street or rural route): City: state: Zip Code: Phone # s: (Home) (Work) Please check the reason or reasons that special help would be needed in an emergency. This person: has no way to travel uses a wheelchair is deaf or hard of hearing must stay in bed is blind or does not see well uses a kidney machine or other support machine does not read well needs help for another reason. Please say why below Please send me: more of these cards # needed: more calendars #needed: My name is: Address (street or rural route): City state: Zip code: phone #:

32 Southern Company 241 Ralph McGill Boulevard, BIN10193 Atlanta, Georgia