Emergency Management Agency (EMA)

The Randolph County Emergency Management Agency is responsible for the management of all emergency preparedness program areas within the county  for both natural and man-made disasters. The agency develops procedures and coordinates efforts to help residents prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate the impacts of disasters.

The Emergency Management program is based on the requirements of the Georgia Emergency Management Act of 1981, as amended December 1992. Using the previsions of these statutes, the Agency is responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive plans for Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery to deal with disaster situations.

Mitigation is the effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters. This is achieved through risk analysis, which results in information that provides a foundation for mitigation activities that reduce risk, and flood insurance that protects financial investment.

Preparedness refers to the state of being prepared for specific or unpredictable events or situations. Preparedness is an important quality in achieving goals and in avoiding and mitigating negative outcomes. It is a major phase of emergency management.

Response -- The response phase of an emergency may commence with search and rescue but in all cases the focus will quickly turn to fulfilling the basic humanitarian needs of the affected population. Effective coordination of disaster assistance is often crucial, particularly when many organizations respond and local emergency management agency (LEMA) capacity has been exceeded by the demand or diminished by the disaster itself.

Recovery -- The aim of the recovery phase is to restore the affected area to its previous state. It differs from the response phase in its focus; recovery efforts are concerned with issues and decisions that must be made after immediate needs are addressed. Recovery efforts are primarily concerned with actions that involve rebuilding destroyed property, and the repair of other essential infrastructure.

In addition this agency develops and maintains emergency plans for all types of natural and man-made hazards and provides the analysis and recommendations necessary to make decisions that will effectively save lives and protect property in such emergencies