The chief of the Albany Fire Department “also serves as emergency management director, and in the event of an emergency, he temporarily focuses in responding to thatevent”. 34 The chief, as director of the Albany-Dougherty County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), oversees the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), coordinates response, relief and recovery with other agencies, and provides updates to the media and the public. 35

The EMA was activated on March 16, 2020, and, within days, the attention of the nation was focused on Albany. 36 Albany implemented a shelter-in-place order on March 19, 2020, two weeks before the governor shut down the entire state.

Discussing the challenges of leading the community when infection rates were highest and the medical community had only limited knowledge as to how the virus could be contained, Bo said, “It’s certainly not what I expected to encounter two months into office. We were in the midst of the pandemic before we had time to prepare.” 37

Elected officials joined together with representatives of Phoebe Putney, other medical providers, the faith-based community, local businesses, and citizens to protect the health and safety of Albany’s residents. The citizens of Albany and Dougherty County came together as they had in responding to earlier natural disasters.

Bo and other members of the COVID Task Force participated in weekly Zoom meetings, during which the number of confirmed cases, hospitalizations, and deaths were reported, and the Task Force received updates on developments in the local and national battle against the virus. 38

Bo, the chairman of the county commission, representatives from Phoebe Putney, the District Health Director, representatives of the Dougherty County School System, the coroner, the director of Dougherty County Emergency Medical Services, and other community leaders addressed citizens during weekly press conferences held during the worst of the pandemic. 39

The EOC was closed in June 2021, as the number of new reported cases had declined for several months. 40 The EOC reopened, some two months later, “in the wake of a massive resurgence of COVID-19”. 41 The EOC was closed, “due to the decrease in COVID cases in the community”, the following March. 42

The prompt and efficient response of the director and the EMA staff was impressive. Bo, in an interview, observed: “The experience of storm response and recovery was of benefit during the pandemic”. 43

The director, recounting the experience some two years later, stated:

We became aware of it in March 2020. It became very real for us because we were among the first to feel the effect of COVID-19, a lot of deaths, a lot of media attention paid to Albany. 44

The city has also improved its advanced warning system. Citizens who enroll in the Code RED system receive automated alerts when there is an imminent threat of tornados, flash floods, or other severe weather events. The public should seek shelter immediately when the sirens are activated. 45