Feb. 07--Fire officials are working to get ahead of the curve on what could be a severe wildfire season.
On the heels of a record year of wildfires in southeast Georgia and with some parts of the region even dryer than last year, they feel it is a prudent countermeasure.
A series of wildfires sparked by lightning incinerated nearly 340,000 acres of Okefenokee Swamp in 2011.
Wendy Burnett, spokeswoman for Georgia Forestry Commission, said the commission is hoping to prevent a repeat performance in 2012.
A team of fire prevention experts from the forestry commission, Florida Forest Service, the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and local agencies is coming to Glynn and surrounding counties in the coming weeks to prepare the region for the fire season.
"We've got some very dry conditions in southeast Georgia. Some parts are even dryer than last year, as far as the drought index goes," Burnett said. "We are going to meet with community leaders, homeowners associations and local citizens to educate them about fire prevention."
The team will focus mainly on preparing properties so they are less likely to catch fire or aid in the spread of fire. The curriculum comes from the National Fire Protection Association Firewise program.
Georgia Climatologist Bill Murphey might agree that preparing for the worst is a good idea. He doesn't expect significant rain to fall anytime soon in south Georgia.
With the La Nina weather pattern caused by cooling waters in the Pacific that create warmer, dryer conditions, precipitation will likely continue to be a rarity in the region, he said.
What's worst is that the area will continue to dry out until around April, when spring thunderstorms usually pick up, Murphey said.
"Spring is still our actual severe weather season. That's typically when we see storms from low pressure systems from stalled out fronts in south Georgia," Murphey said.
Thunderstorms could be troublesome. Lightning was the cause of most of the hundreds of fires in the southeastern part of the state last year.
In a separate initiative, Gov. Nathan Deal's office declared this week Severe Weather Awareness Week. Murphey said its good that officials get ahead of the season, instead of waiting for severe weather to happen.
Glynn County Police Capt. Jay Wiggins, director of the Glynn County Emergency Management Agency, says residents should always remain vigilant.
"(The) weather can change in the blink of an eye," he said. "People sometimes don't recognize that even lightning is a force of nature that can take people's lives."
Copyright 2012 - The Brunswick News, Ga.
