Georgia Emergency Operations Plan - GEMA/Homeland Security

- Chemical agent: Dangerous materials such as nerve agents or other
toxins are dispersed in public places. This would sicken many and could
cause casualties, impact commerce and transportation. It may take
months before normal operations and a sense of “normalcy” is restored.
- Improvised nuclear device: A small thermonuclear device is detonated in
a populated area, causing hundreds of injuries or deaths and widespread
property loss. There would be adverse impacts to commerce, and travel
may be altered for months or years.
- Radiological dispersion device: An improvised explosive device
containing nuclear material is detonated in a population center, resulting
in many injuries or deaths. This would cause panic, disrupt commerce and
travel, and require potentially millions of dollars to clean up.
- Biological agent: Infectious biological agents are aerially dispersed and
delivered to restaurants, livestock operations, or other locations. This
would disrupt commerce, statewide agribusiness, and could sicken or
cause death for many. The impacts would last for months.
- Cyber attack: Computer systems for critical infrastructure and networks
are targeted, such as those of the power grid, other utilities,
communications networks, transportation systems, or banking facilities.
In addition to terrorism, or deliberate attacks on society, Georgia faces other
unique types of human hazards that have required substantial local, state
and federal planning and response efforts. Over the past several years,
Georgia has hosted numerous events that were classified as National Special
Security Events. These include a National Football League Championship
(Super Bowl), Major League Baseball Championships (World Series), the 1996
Summer Olympics and the 2004 G8 Summit. In 2002, local, state and federal
agencies were integrated into response efforts after nearly three hundred
sets of human remains were discovered in a private business in north Georgia
that was charged with conducting cremations of the remains but failed to do
so. In addition, the State of Georgia has historically provided assistance and
services to residents of neighboring states evacuating coastal areas for major
hurricanes. In moderate size evacuations the majority of these citizens obtain
shelter and feeding support from the private sector via hotels, motels and
restaurants. In most events, these citizens will stay within Georgia for less than
a week before returning home. In some instances, because of the
catastrophic impact of the event or the volume of the evacuating
population, the private sector cannot support these individuals and local and
state government must coordinate operations to provide basic support to
large numbers of citizens from other states. In 1999, the threat of Hurricane
Floyd prompted the evacuation of an estimated 1.7 million residents of
Florida and South Carolina to Georgia, in addition to over 250,000 residents
from Coastal Georgia. In 2005, an estimated 100,000 residents of Louisiana
and Mississippi evacuated to Georgia in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
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