StormReady Supporter Certification 2005:

 

A National Weather Service Preparedness and Response Project for Kentucky CES Offices

 

How can we better prepare Cooperative Extension to respond to natural disaster?

- By preparing ourselves and our families

- By preparing Extension staff/offices

- By building partnerships in counties

 

StormReady, a National Weather Service program started in 1999 in Tulsa, OK, helps arm America's communities with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property– before and during the event. StormReady helps communities strengthen local safety programs.

 

 

 

New Development…

StormReady “Supporter” Program has been created by NWS for smaller units, such as:

- Hospitals

- Banks

- Companies

- Cooperative Extension Offices/staff

 

The criteria to make your CES office StormReady Supporter certified are in the areas of:

- Communications

- NWS Info reception

- Hydrometeorological Monitoring

- Office Warning Dissemination

- Office and Staff Preparedness

- Administration criteria

 

 

Communications criteria :

 

- Meet with local emergency manager and extension committee to discuss emergency plans

- Set up an Office warning point

- Operates during office hours (including during periods such as workshops in off-hours).

- Have warning reception capability

- Offer warning dissemination capability to office personnel

 

NWS Info Reception criteria:

-"Office warning points" need multiple ways to receive NWS warnings.

- Mandatory: NOAA Weather Radio

- Television: Local network or cable TV

- Local Radio

- Internet, pagers and/or cell phone notification

 

Hydrometeorological Monitoring criteria:

- Access to radar data via:

- Internet,

- Local TV, etc.)

 

Office Warning Dissemination criteria:

- Once NWS warnings are received, or local information suggests an imminent

    weather threat, the goal of the “Office warning point” should be to

    communicate with as many of the staff as possible. Get the word to everyone in the office and at special  events to “take cover.”

 

Office and Staff Preparedness criteria:

- Office staff education is vital in preparing all personnel in the Extension office to respond properly to weather threats.

- Attend basic severe weather training sessions provided by NWS, repeat every   three years.

- NWS 2-hr weather training is set up thru April

- KY EDEN web under Training

- Each NWS Office web under Spotter Training

    - contact local NWS office to sign up for basic training

    - send email to Tom Priddy when completed.

 

Administration criteria:

- Emergency weather action plan(s) will need to be in place by working with local emergency manager and local extension committee.

- "Office warning point" procedures relating to natural hazards

- Severe weather training records

- Annual exercises relating to natural hazard

- Procedures for contacting personnel during off-site workshop/events

 

Let’s make Kentucky the first state in the nation to have all CES offices StormReady Supporter Certified!

 

For each Extension District…a free SAME NOAA Weather Radio is available for the first extension office in each district to complete the 2 hour basic NWS severe weather training.

 

Contact Tom Priddy for more information at:

 

priddy@uky.edu

or

UK Ag. Weather Center: 859-257-3000 ext. 245