Governor Sonny Perdue, in close coordination with Governor-elect Nathan Deal, issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in anticipation of a severe winter storm that is expected to impact much of the state.The executive order allows for state resources to be available for response and recovery activities, and calls for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) / Office of Homeland Security to activate the state’s Emergency Operations Plan. GEMA / Homeland Security has activated the State Operations Center (SOC) to support the state in its response and recovery efforts to a severe weather system that is expected to begin impacting Georgia tonight through Tuesday.“For the past several days GEMA / Homeland Security has been actively monitoring and preparing for the impacts of a significant winter weather event," said GEMA Director Charley English. “We continue to coordinate with the National Weather Service and all local emergency management agencies, in addition to the appropriate state agencies, Georgia Power Company and the Federal Emergency Management Agency."GEMA / Homeland Security is the lead state agency for coordination of emergency and disaster response activities. For more preparedness and emergency information, visit www.gema.ga.gov and www.ready.ga.gov