Crawford County Recertified Storm Ready
MEADVILLE February 7.2013- Crawford County recently awarded its recertification as a StormReady Community StormReady, a program started in 1999 in Tulsa, Oklahoma by the National Weather Service (NWS), helps arm America's communities with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property--before and during the event. StormReady helps community leaders and emergency managers strengthen local safety programs. StormReady communities are better prepared to save lives from the onslaught of severe weather through advanced planning, education and awareness. No community is storm proof, but StormReady can help communities save lives. The certification is good for three years and then must be renewed by maintaining the same requirements that is in the initial application. Crawford County was first awarded its StormReady Community Certification in December 2007 by NWS Forecast Office in Cleveland, Ohio and was renewed December 2009. The Crawford County Office of Emergency Services is the lead agency in ensuring the requirements are met and maintained.
Based on the size of the population served, there are six guidelines with twelve requirements to meet to receive the StormReady Community designation. Some of the requirements are to conduct public education regarding severe weather preparedness, promote NWS Skywarn Spotters Course in the County, having a weather plan, have four ways of receiving weather alerts, and four ways to disseminate the alerts to the public to and from the 9-1-1 Center and Emergency Operations Center. In December a group of Amateur Radio Operators from the Crawford Amateur Radio Society (CARS) took a tour of NWS Forecast Office in Cleveland, Ohio with Crawford County Emergency Management Director and Operations Officer, which is another requirement of the program. For more information on how businesses, schools, municipalities, and neighborhoods can be StormReady go to: www.stormready.noaa.gov.
