The National Weather Service Monday night will recognize DeKalb County as being “StormReady” during the monthly county commission meeting.
A representative from the National Weather Service will present County Mayor Matt Adcock and the county commission with a certificate officially confirming this designation.
“DeKalb County has been working through a process with 911 and EMA to get DeKalb County storm ready certified,” said DeKalb Emergency Management Agency Director Charlie Parker. “We have met all the requirements. The National Weather Service is coming Monday night to present a certificate of recognition that we have checked all the boxes to become storm ready county. It shows we are working to protect citizens through our local emergency planning committee. We also have some of our factories, businesses, schools, and the hospital on board with this also to do more storm preparedness,” said Parker.
For a county, business, building, or organization to be designated “StormReady” they must have provided emergency managers with clear-cut guidelines on how to improve their hazardous weather operations. To be officially StormReady, a community must:
•Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center
•Have more than one way to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and to alert the public
•Create a system that monitors weather conditions locally
•Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars
•Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.
The county commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the county complex.