Friday, September 27, 2002

County may get StormReady designation By JOHN THOMPSON jthompson@TheCitizenNews.com As Tropical Storm Isidore visits Coweta County this week, the county is waiting for final recognition as StormReady. The designation is done through the National Weather Service and a community or county must meet criteria established jointly between the weather service and state and local emergency management officials. Earlier this month, officials conducted an ainspection of the county's 911 center. Coweta officials are waiting for the final word to be designated as one of the StormReady counties in the state. Criteria for inclusion include: Having a local 24-hour warning point and an Emergency Operations Center. Having multiple ways of receiving NWS warnings. Being able to monitor local weather/river conditions. Having multiple ways of alerting the public. Promoting public readiness through community seminars and presentations. Having a formal hazardous weather plan. Having trained spotters. Conducting periodic drills / exercises. Interacting with their supporting NWS office. The essence of the program is to ensure the entire warning system performs properly when severe weather strikes. What do you think of this story? Click here to send a message to the editor. Back to News Home Page | Back to the top of the page