FEMA Assistance Available to Tornado Victims, City Centers Still Open for Immediate Needs
With the help of local and federal relief partners, City officials and employees, the Atlanta City Council and unnamed neighbors, the City of Atlanta is pleased to announce that great strides have been made in the continuing clean-up and recovery effort following the severe weather on March 14
In the days and weeks to come, the City along with our relief partners - will continue to clear debris, evaluate structural damage, and provide assistance for tornado disaster recovery.
FEMA Info
- Homeowners, renters, and business owners in Fulton County who experienced losses during the March 14 - 16 severe storms and tornados can now apply for FEMA disaster assistance. A FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) opened today at the John H. Lewis Gymnasium, located at 570 Mitchell Street on the campus of Morris Brown College. The center will be open from 8 am – 7 pm daily.
- FEMA Disaster Assistance Includes: Financial Assistance for Housing (Temporary; Repair; Replacement: Permanent Housing Construction); Disaster-related medical and dental costs; Disaster-related funeral and burial cost; Clothing; household items; Fuels for primary heat source; and Disaster damaged vehicle. Other services include Crisis Counseling; Disaster Unemployment Assistance; Legal Services; and Special Tax Considerations.
- The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private non-profit organizations to repair or replace homes, businesses and personal property damaged by the severe storms and tornadoes that occurred March 14. SBA representatives will be on-hand to meet with individuals and business owners. The SBA Customer Service Center is available from 8 am - 8 pm, Mon – Fri at 1.800.659.2955 or at www.sba.gov
- The FEMA DRC is located within two blocks of the MARTA Vine City Station. MARTA bus Route No. 3 travels along M.L. King Drive within two blocks of the FEMA DRC.
- The FEMA toll free number is 1.800.621.3362. For speech and hearing impaired, call 1-800-462-7585. Lines are open from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available for registration. Applications for disaster assistance can also be made by going to www.fema.gov.
Addtional Assistance:
The American Red Cross, Hands on Atlanta and the City of Atlanta partnered to open two unified service centers to assist with immediate needs. Hours of Operation for both locations are: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until further notice.
- Lang Carson Recreation Center
100 Flat Shoals Ave. SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30316
- Beulah Baptist Church
170 Griffin Street NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30314
Traffic:
The Atlanta Police Department (APD) continues to open previously closed roads as safety hazards are eliminated. The following roads are currently closed:
- Peachtree Street is closed between Ellis Street and Auburn Avenue.
- International Boulevard is closed between Peachtree Street and Spring Street.
- John Wesley Dobbs is closed between Peachtree Center and Peachtree Street.
For Continued Updates, Visit www.atlantaga.gov.
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City Rallies Around Earth Hour
On Saturday March 29, Atlanta residents and stakeholders and dozens of local businesses and communities will make a powerful statement in support for global action on climate change by cutting off all non-essential lights for one hour - Earth Hour.
Atlanta joins over 20 cities worldwide that will simultaneously darken all non-essential lights from 8-9 pm in an effort to influence global policy on climate change. Presented by the World Wildlife Fund, Atlanta will represent the Eastern Time Zone of the US as a complement to the recently launched “Sustainable Atlanta” environmental initiative.
While there are no specific energy reduction targets for Atlanta Earth Hour, event partner Georgia Power will measure the drop in electricity use from 8-9 pm on Saturday. To encourage longer term benefits, all participants are asked to replace older light bulbs with highly-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, and to pledge to take actions to reduce energy consumption on a daily basis.
All lights impacting public safety will remain on including street lights. Lights in public spaces, hospitals or emergency services will also remain on for the duration of the event.
Earth Hour: Atlanta will kick off on Friday March 28 at 11:30 am with a public rally in the City Hall Atrium. For more information about Earth Hour: Atlanta, contact Mandy Schmitt, Director of Sustainability, at mschmitt@atlantaga.gov. For more information about how you can get involved, visit www.EarthHourus.org.
Watch the video about the worldwide particiaption of 21 cities as a part of the Earth Hour video as the Video On Demand feature in this week's City Newsbytes.
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International Conference Focuses on the Future of Development
Atlanta recently hosted the Second Annual Global Partnership for Economic Development Conference, gathering local, national and international delegates for a dialogue on how to enhance sustainable development in urban areas through public transit and green policies.
The conference was co-hosted by the Atlanta Sister Cities Commission, CIFAL Atlanta, the City of Atlanta and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Additional partners included Beltline representatives, ADA (Atlanta Development Authority), and MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority).
Representatives from the government, development, architecture, transportation and planning sectors shared best practices for developing thriving communities that also focus on future needs. Sustained communities – linked together through transit, housing, energy and water systems, and greenspace – enhance the quality of life of an area, making it an attractive locale for potential business development.
Delegates took a tour of the Atlanta BeltLine, a best-in-class environmental and transit initiative. The BeltLine is the largest urban redevelopment project currently underway in the U.S., combining greenspace, trails, transit, and new development along 22 miles of historic rail segments connecting dozens of Atlanta neighborhoods.
International delegates came from Nuremberg, Germany; Taipei, Taiwan; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Ra’anana, Isreal; Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; Ahmedabad, India; Wuhan, China; Ningbo, China; Kingston, Jamaica; Porto Alegre, Brazil and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Mayor Shirley Franklin joins City officials and Atlanta sister-city representatives during the 2nd Annual Global Partnership for Economic Development Conference, held in Atlanta. Pictured (l-r): Jitu Patel, chair, Atlanta-Ahmedabad Sister City Project Committee; David Constant, Atlanta International Affairs Manager; Claire McLeveighn, director, Atlanta Office of External Affairs and International Relations; Capt. Dilipkumar J Mahajan, Deputy Commissioner of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation; Sudhaben Shah, Mayor Amit Shah (City of Ahmedabad); Mayor Shirley Franklin; Vin Martin (Honorary Consul of Jamaica); His Worship Charles Sinclair (Mayor of Montego Bay, Jamaica); Mexine Bisasor (Councilor, City of Montego Bay); Mark Ginsberg (Dept of Energy); Metty Scarlett-Jones (Montego Bay – Atlanta Sister City Committee).
Mayor Shirley Franklin signs a memorandum of understanding with the Mayor of Ahmedabad, Amit Shah (pictured left), to establish a Cities Partnership on Energy and Environment between Atlanta, Georgia and Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The partnership will share best practices on sustainable development, energy and environment. (Pictured standing): Capt. Dilipkumar J Mahajan, Deputy Commissioner of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. |
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Leading Business Magazine Ranks Airport Wi-Fi Above All
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (HJAIA) has received another best in class ranking: world’s top airport for wireless connectivity.
This month, Forbes.com named the 5.8 million sq. ft. facility tops in the airline industry for wireless connectivity – or Wi-Fi. In 2005, the Airport launched “Wi-Fi Before You Fly” making it the largest Wi-Fi hotspot in the world.
Since the launch of Wi-Fi at HJAIA, approximately 900,000 passengers have opened their laptops and logged on to the airport splash page which offers a choice of about a half-dozen service providers.
“Our implementation is extremely ‘customer-centric.’ There is Wi-Fi coverage in every square foot of the airport.” said Lance Lyttle, Airport Information Services CIO (chief information officer).
HJAIA is the world’s busiest airport serving more than 88 million passengers annually with 34 passenger and 16 cargo airlines onsite. A frequent recipient of awards of excellence for operations, architectural engineering and construction, the Airport is undergoing $6 billion-plus in capital improvements. This includes a new energy-efficient car rental facility (CONRAC), the new 12-gate Maynard Holbrook Jackson, Jr. International Terminal, and other esthetic and functional enhancements.
For more information on the Airport visit www.atlanta-airport.com.
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On Saturday March 29, Atlanta will join cities around the world for Earth Hour. The event is designed to make a powerful statement in support for global action on climate change. Click here to go to Video On Demand (VOD) webpage where you find out more about Earth Hour and how to get involved.
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Rave Reviews!
- Mayor Shirley Franklin joined leadership at the Atlanta Public Schools (APS), the Georgia Coalition of Black Women and students from the Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy to launch the inaugural “Shirley Franklin Lecture Series.” The theme for the inaugural event was: Young, Gifted and Ready to Learn. In addition to girls from King Academy, youth from the local feeder schools also joined the event, posing questions to Mayor Franklin who spoke on the topic of women and leadership.
Mayor Shirley Franklin helps APS launch the “Shirley Franklin Lecture Series” as its inaugural speaker. Mayor Franklin is joined by Carol Hojeij, Hojeij Branded Foods; Henrietta Kisseih, Kissberg Construction; Dr. Beverly Hall, APS Superintendent; and Elder Bernice King. |
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Upcoming Events & Volunteer Opportunities
- Major lane closures as part of the project to resurface the Downtown Connector will begin on Friday March 28, continuing on weekends through November 2008. This weekend three (3) northbound inside lanes will be closed between University Avenue and 10th Street. The Downtown Connector resurfacing project extends 4.79 miles between University Avenue and 10th Street in the northbound and southbound lanes. Lane closures will mostly be contained to weekends, beginning on Fridays at 9 p.m. through Mondays at 5 a.m. Weeknight closures will be limited to shoulder or single lanes. Closures will coordinate with the 14th Street Reconstruction Project. For updated information, visit the Georgia DOT website at www.dot.ga.gov
- Earth Hour: Atlanta will kick off on Friday March 28 at 11:30 am with a public rally in the City Hall Atrium, 55 Trinity Ave, Atlanta, 30303. For more information about Earth Hour: Atlanta, contact Mandy Schmitt, Director of Sustainability, at mschmitt@atlantaga.gov. For more information about how you can get involved, visit www.EarthHourus.org.
- Park Pride will host its 7th Annual Parks and Greenspace Conference at the Atlanta Botanical Garden on Monday, March 31 from 8 am-5 pm. “A Vision of Sustainability” is the theme of this year’s event. In addition to the Conference, Park Pride will host its 2nd Annual Parks Tour on March 29. For more information, visit http://parkpride.org.
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Job Announcements
With the City of Atlanta’s online application system, you are able to create an account and select a Username and Password and then log in to your account.
After your account has been established, you can create an application by clicking on the “Build Job Application” link. Once your application is completed, it will be stored in the system and can be used to apply for future job openings. To get started by viewing current open positions, click here.
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Weekly Features
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