Published: November 26, 2008 11:21 am            

Partnership to broadcast emergency information along roadways

Submitted by the office of the lieutenant governor



ATLANTA — Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Outdoor Advertising Association of Georgia (OAAG) have announced a new public-private partnership that will use digital billboards to quickly post emergency information along Georgia roadways. Under the partnership, GEMA and GBI will be able to communicate with drivers through OAAG’s member network, which operates more than 75 digital billboards across the state.

“These digital billboards are an excellent addition to our response tool belt,” says Cagle. “This innovative partnership provides a new way to provide timely and accurate information in an emergency and help protect lives and property in Georgia. We welcome this opportunity to use this versatile real-time technology to deliver critical emergency information to hundreds of thousands of motorists quickly and efficiently.”

State emergency management and law enforcement officials may use the digital billboards to post urgent messages such as weather warnings, evacuations, shelter information and missing person alerts. Specifically the boards will run Kimberly’s Call, Mattie’s Call, Hurricane, Evacuation, Homeland Security, Extreme Weather, Nuclear-Chemical and Wildfire Alerts. They will be activated at the request of emergency management and law enforcement officials. Because digital billboards are changed electronically, they can be updated instantly.

OAAG’s coverage area includes metro Atlanta, Albany, Augusta, Brunswick, Macon, Rome, Savannah and Valdosta. Georgia is the second state to sign such an agreement with an outdoor advertising association.

To learn more about OAAG, visit www.oaag.net. To learn about the potential hazards that may impact Georgia and to create a custom Ready kit and emergency plan, visit www.ready.ga.gov.

        

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