CEMA News Release #1 - Hurricane Hanna

CEMA Enters into Operating Condition 4
Savannah, GA – September 1, 2008

At 5:00 pm, Hurricane Hanna was located near Latitude 22.2 North, Longitude 72.6 West or about 743 nautical miles south of Chatham County and was moving toward the north at a speed of 4 mph. Hurricane Hanna is slowly moving northwest and is expected to continue this track throughout the next several days. Hurricane force winds from Hanna extend outward up to 70 miles with Tropical Storm force winds extending outward up to 160 miles.

Under the current forecast, Hanna is expected to make landfall near Chatham County on Friday afternoon at approximately 2pm. However, minor changes with each advisory could result in major changes in the forecast track and storm dynamics.

As of this release, CEMA is entering into Operating Condition (OPCON) 4 or the Monitoring Phase as defined by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency. OPCON 4 is the first stage in advanced readiness. All interested parties should maintain vigilance in monitoring this storm through local media.

A thorough check of emergency supplies and evacuation plans is in order. Emergency response agencies should review their hurricane plans and determine the availability of their assets, resources and personnel. Those agencies that have the tesponsibility to share information should be doing so at this time.