Greetings RBWO Providers,

As Category 3 Hurricane Dorian begins to slowly move away from the Bahamas, the National Hurricane Center has issued hurricane, storm surge, and tropical storm watches and warnings from the Atlantic coast of Florida northward into South Carolina. Serious storm effects are likely in coastal Georgia and the Carolinas in the middle and latter half of the week as Dorian picks up speed and heads north. The Hurricane Center projects a storm surge of 4 to 7 feet in coastal Georgia north to the South Santee River in South Carolina.

The Office of Provider Management (OPM) wants to ensure that our RBWO Providers and youth in our coastal counties are safe and secure during this time. Please ensure that your staff, caregivers and youth are knowledgeable of your agency’s emergency preparedness and evacuation plan.

For ALL RBWO Providers: 

Effective September 1, 2017, the following procedure has been implemented for all foster caregivers involved with DFCS:

CPAs:

If a caregiver has to evacuate their home, they need to contact CICC (1-855-GA-CHILD, then select Option #1), and advise them of their new location. They will be asked questions regarding their location, contact information, household composition / members, and any unmet needs for the children in their care.

For our CCIs/ILPs:

Please call CICC at 1-855-GA-CHILD, then select Option #1.  They will be asked questions regarding their planned evacuation location, children being moved, and any unmet needs for the children in their care.  CICC will enter this information into GA SHINES and notify the county. 

For further information regarding the storm, please refer to complete coverage of Hurricane Dorian at https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/hurricane-dorian-september-2019/index.html. Also, for additional support with preparing your families, please refer to https://www.fema.gov/.

Stay Safe,

The Office of Provider Management