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After meeting stringent requirements, the Forsyth County Emergency Management Agency has earned the StormReady® designation from the National Weather Service. The StormReady® Advisory Board met April 11 and approved Forsyth County to receive the recognition. A StormReady® plaque was presented to Forsyth County officials at the May 3 Board of Commissioners meeting.

StormReady® is a National Weather Service (NWS) program designed to recognize counties that have reached a high level of severe weather preparedness. To be recognized as StormReady®, a county must meet criteria established jointly between the NWS and state and local emergency management officials. A county must meet the following criteria:

• 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. The warning system is comprised of the NWS (which issues the warnings), local emergency management (which ensures the warnings are communicated), and the general public (who respond properly to the warnings). When each part of this system performs well, lives and property are saved. StormReady® recognizes the counties in which the system is most likely to perform well.

“We are certainly proud of achieving the StormReady® designation,” Emergency Management Agency Director Danny Bowman said, “and Forsyth County will continue to make improvements and enhancements in the area of emergency management, in order to serve the community as best possible.”