Governor Perdue Declares State of Emergency in Preparation for Impact of Hurricane Frances

ATLANTA , GA - Governor Sonny Perdue has declared a state of emergency for the entirety of Georgia in preparation for the impact of Hurricane Frances .  The state of emergency will continue through midnight September 7, 2004 or until the end of an additional period of time as may be authorized by further Executive Order.

The Governor's action was taken as a precautionary measure to prepare for possible damage and localized flooding, and to prevent price gouging of Georgians, and evacuated Floridians, in need of gas, food, lodging, and other supplies. 

Georgia has a tough price gouging law (O.C.G.A. 10-1-393.4) in place to deal with individuals trying to take advantage of an emergency situation.  The law provides that the price of any essential goods or services cannot be increased once a state of emergency is declared by the Governor.  There are reasonable exemptions that allow businesses to recover their actual costs.  The law is aggressively enforced by the Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).  For example, when Hurricane Floyd threatened the state in 1999, the Office of Consumer Affairs made cases against 20 motels in middle-Georgia alone.

The emergency declaration also allows state resources to be used to assist local governments that do not have adequate resources to protect the public health, preserve public safety, and minimize property damage. 

For updated information on Hurricane Frances , visit the GEMA Web site at www.gema.state.ga.us .