StormReady
Encyclopedia
StormReady is a community preparedness program in the United States
that encourages government entities and commercial gathering sites to prepare for severe storms. The program, sponsored by the United States National Weather Service
, issues recognition to communities and sites across the country that demonstrate severe weather readiness. The program is voluntary, and provides communities with clear-cut advice from a partnership with the local National Weather Service Office, state and local emergency managers, and the media. The program has been credited with saving the lives of more than 50 movie-goers in Van Wert County, Ohio
in November 2002. As of June 1, 2011, there were 1,752 StormReady sites in 50 states.
The United States experiences, on average, about 10,000 thunderstorm
s, 5,000 floods, and 1,000 tornado
es, as well as an average of 2 deadly hurricanes, each year. Some 90% of all presidentially-declared disaster area
s are weather-related, leading to around 500 deaths per year and nearly $14 billion in damage.
StormReady was initiated in 1999 in Tulsa, Oklahoma
, in an area which has experienced a number of severe tornadoes; there has been at least one tornado in the Tulsa area each year since 1950.. Its sponsors saw formal recognition as a way to increase cooperation among the various agencies responsible for disaster preparedness.
The program was originally called StormWise; in 2002, the StormReady logo and name became officially registered trademark
s of the National Weather Service. The program has increased its scope at a steady rate ever since. Walt Disney World received the recognition in 2006. The sites in June 2011 comprised 874 counties, 721 communities, 72 universities, 10 Native American
tribal nations, 37 commercial sites, and 36 military/government sites.
A Tsunami
Ready program has been instituted using many of the same criteria. There are currently 84 TsunamiReady Sites in 10 states, Puerto Rico and Guam and 144 StormReady Supporters
At a minimum, NOAA Weather Radios, with tone alert and/or Specific Area Message Encoding capability, must be located at four sites within StormReady communities including emergency operations centers, 24-hour warning points, city hall, and all school superintendent offices. In addition to being in homes and offices, NOAA recommends that NOAA Weather Radios also be at the following locations: courthouses, libraries, schools, day care centers, movie theaters, hospitals, senior citizen homes, recreation facilities, sports arenas, public utilities, fairgrounds, and other sites where the general public may gather.
The National Weather Service (NWS) SKYWARN
storm spotter program trains emergency managers, dispatchers, other first responders such as police officers and firefighters, and the general public on how to stay vigilant by identifying features in clouds that usually preclude the occurrence of severe weather. Trained SKYWARN storm spotters report hazardous weather conditions to their local NWS offices; amateur radio
operators are also invited to participate.
An advisory board, composed of National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologists and state and local emergency managers, reviews applications from municipalities and visits the locations to verify the steps made in the process to become StormReady. StormReady communities must stay freshly prepared, because the designation is only valid for two years. The advisory board seeks to officially designate 20 communities each year for the next five years as StormReady.
A tornado struck and destroyed a movie theater in Van Wert County on November 10, 2002, about 28 minutes after a tornado warning
was issued. Media coverage of the event emphasized that the theater was screening the film Santa Clause 2 - there were a number of children at the show.
The first StormReady Community Hero Award was presented to Van Wert County Emergency Manager Rick McCoy, County Commissioner Gary Adams, and Van Wert City
Mayor Stephen Gehres for establishing the county's StormReady program with the NWS. Van Wert Cinemas assistant manager Scott Shaffer was given the NWS Public Service Award for ushering moviegoers to safety after hearing the warning; he had attended a meeting sponsored by local emergency management agencies, and was able to direct the theater patrons to the safest areas within the building.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that encourages government entities and commercial gathering sites to prepare for severe storms. The program, sponsored by the United States National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
, issues recognition to communities and sites across the country that demonstrate severe weather readiness. The program is voluntary, and provides communities with clear-cut advice from a partnership with the local National Weather Service Office, state and local emergency managers, and the media. The program has been credited with saving the lives of more than 50 movie-goers in Van Wert County, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in November 2002. As of June 1, 2011, there were 1,752 StormReady sites in 50 states.
History and background
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
s, 5,000 floods, and 1,000 tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
es, as well as an average of 2 deadly hurricanes, each year. Some 90% of all presidentially-declared disaster area
Disaster area
A disaster area is a region or a locale heavily damaged by either natural hazards, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, earthquakes, technological hazards including nuclear and radiation accidents, or sociological hazards like riots, terrorism or war. The population living there often...
s are weather-related, leading to around 500 deaths per year and nearly $14 billion in damage.
StormReady was initiated in 1999 in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, in an area which has experienced a number of severe tornadoes; there has been at least one tornado in the Tulsa area each year since 1950.. Its sponsors saw formal recognition as a way to increase cooperation among the various agencies responsible for disaster preparedness.
The program was originally called StormWise; in 2002, the StormReady logo and name became officially registered trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
s of the National Weather Service. The program has increased its scope at a steady rate ever since. Walt Disney World received the recognition in 2006. The sites in June 2011 comprised 874 counties, 721 communities, 72 universities, 10 Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribal nations, 37 commercial sites, and 36 military/government sites.
A Tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
Ready program has been instituted using many of the same criteria. There are currently 84 TsunamiReady Sites in 10 states, Puerto Rico and Guam and 144 StormReady Supporters
Recognition
To be officially StormReady, a community or site must:- Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center;
- Have redundant communications systems to receive severe weather forecasts and warnings and to alert the public.
- Create a system that monitors local weather conditions;
- Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars;
- Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotterWeather spotterA weather spotter is any individual who observes weather for the purpose of reporting his or her observations to a larger weather group or organization. Examples include National Weather service co-op observers and Skywarn storm spotters.-Storm spotters:...
s and holding emergency exercises.
At a minimum, NOAA Weather Radios, with tone alert and/or Specific Area Message Encoding capability, must be located at four sites within StormReady communities including emergency operations centers, 24-hour warning points, city hall, and all school superintendent offices. In addition to being in homes and offices, NOAA recommends that NOAA Weather Radios also be at the following locations: courthouses, libraries, schools, day care centers, movie theaters, hospitals, senior citizen homes, recreation facilities, sports arenas, public utilities, fairgrounds, and other sites where the general public may gather.
Skywarn
SKYWARN is a program of the United States' National Weather Service . Its mission is to collect reports of localized severe weather. These reports are used to aid forecasters in issuing and verifying severe weather watches and warnings and to improve the forecasting and warning processes and the...
storm spotter program trains emergency managers, dispatchers, other first responders such as police officers and firefighters, and the general public on how to stay vigilant by identifying features in clouds that usually preclude the occurrence of severe weather. Trained SKYWARN storm spotters report hazardous weather conditions to their local NWS offices; amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
operators are also invited to participate.
An advisory board, composed of National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologists and state and local emergency managers, reviews applications from municipalities and visits the locations to verify the steps made in the process to become StormReady. StormReady communities must stay freshly prepared, because the designation is only valid for two years. The advisory board seeks to officially designate 20 communities each year for the next five years as StormReady.
Funding
The National Weather Service does not fund the program in forms other than review and recognition. One of its goals is to help local emergency managers justify costs and purchases related to supporting their hazardous weather-related programs. It does, however, issue a sign that communities may display.Success
Tornado warning
A tornado warning is an alert issued by government weather services to warn that severe thunderstorms with tornadoes may be imminent. It can be issued after a tornado or funnel cloud has been spotted by eye, or more commonly if there are radar indications of tornado formation...
was issued. Media coverage of the event emphasized that the theater was screening the film Santa Clause 2 - there were a number of children at the show.
The first StormReady Community Hero Award was presented to Van Wert County Emergency Manager Rick McCoy, County Commissioner Gary Adams, and Van Wert City
Van Wert, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,690 people, 4,556 households, and 2,947 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,803.8 people per square mile . There were 4,927 housing units at an average density of 831.4 per square mile...
Mayor Stephen Gehres for establishing the county's StormReady program with the NWS. Van Wert Cinemas assistant manager Scott Shaffer was given the NWS Public Service Award for ushering moviegoers to safety after hearing the warning; he had attended a meeting sponsored by local emergency management agencies, and was able to direct the theater patrons to the safest areas within the building.