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Health & Fitness

O'Fallon receives StormReady recognition

The City of O'Fallon, Missouri, was recognized by the National Weather Service for qualifying as a StormReady community.

The City of O’Fallon was recently recognized as a StormReady community by the National Weather Service, which sponsors the program. To be recognized as StormReady, communities must demonstrate severe weather readiness and meet communication and other guidelines established by the National Weather Service in partnership with federal, state and local emergency management programs.

 “We can be proud of O’Fallon’s designation as a StormReady community,” said Police Officer Andy Stowers. “As we saw this month, with spring storms following on the heels of severe winter weather, it’s important to know when major storms are coming and be prepared to deal with them.”

StormReady is a voluntary “grassroots” program and there is no cost to apply. Sponsored by NOAA’s National Weather Service, StormReady puts the focus on improving communication and severe weather preparedness in communities. It also helps community leaders and emergency managers strengthen local hazard mitigation and refine emergency response plans.

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To earn the designation, communities must:

  • Establish a 24-hour Warning Point and Emergency Operations Center
  • Establish multiple ways to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and alert the public
  • Create a system that monitors local weather conditions
  • Promote public readiness through community seminars, severe weather spotter training and by conducting emergency exercises
  • Incorporate severe weather threats into the community’s hazard mitigation and emergency response plans

 

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The StormReady program benefits communities by:

  • Improving the timeliness and effectiveness of hazardous weather warnings for the public
  • Providing clear, detailed recommendations which will help communities establish and improve effective hazardous weather operations
  • Supporting hazardous weather mitigation programs that have achieved a desired performance level
  • Providing an incentive to communities which, once they are recognized, can identify themselves as being StormReady
  • Helping ensure that the community is prepared for other civil emergencies.

For more information about StormReady, visit www.stormready.noaa.gov/publications.htm.

For information on O’Fallon’s emergency management programs, please visit www.ofallon.mo.us/PD/emergency-management. Or contact Officer Stowers at astowers@ofallon.mo.us or 636-379-3816.

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