*Please note that due to the threat of severe weather on Saturday, April 25, the Community Disaster Awareness Day event has been cancelled.*

Public is urged to participate during three-day event!

Dalton (GA) - Whitfield Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is partnering with FEMA, GEMA, National Weather Service, Whitfield County Local Emergency Planning Committee, and WDEF-TV, to sponsor Whitfield’s PrepareAthon! Weekend, an innovative communitywide emergency preparedness campaign designed by FEMA.

Whitfield is the first county in Georgia to hold such a PrepareAthon!, with three days of special events starting Friday, April 24 through Sunday, April 26 to increase community emergency preparedness and resilience through hazard-specific drills, group discussions, and exercises.

• • Friday, April 24, schools and businesses will conduct tornado drills.
  • *Saturday, April 25 – the Community Disaster Awareness Day event will be held from 10 am – 2 pm at Home Depot at 875 Shugart Road in Dalton.*
  • Sunday, April 26 – Whitfield EMA will work with faith-based organizations to get them prepared.

To have your organization participate in a tornado drill that Friday or in the faith-based events that Sunday, sign up at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/whitfieldsprepareathon.

WDEF-TV’s Chief Meteorologist Patrick Core is working with Whitfield EMA to promote the PrepareAthon! in Whitfield.

"Extreme weather events have increased in frequency in the past 50 years," according to Claude Craig, Whitfield County EMA director.

Since 1990, Whitfield County has experienced two tornadoes, 82 weather events that included high winds, 14 flash floods, nine floods, and 21 winter weather events or storms that caused moderate to severe disruption to the affected communities.

"That is why it is more important than ever to take action before the storm to be prepared," Craig said.

The goals of Whitfield County’s PrepareAthon! are simple:

• • To build a more resilient community by increasing the number of individuals who understand which disasters could happen in their community
  • Individuals and organizations will know what to do to be safe and mitigate damage
  • They will take action to increase their preparedness
  • They will participate in community resilience planning

For more information about Whitfield’s PrepareAthon! Weekend events, visit Whitfield County Emergency Management at 804 Professional Blvd., in Dalton, call 706-259-3730, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..