CLAY COUNTY – The National Weather Service - Jacksonville presented Clay County Emergency Management with its renewed StormReady Certification. 

The NWS StormReady program prepares communities with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property before, during, and after a weather event. StormReady communities are better prepared to save lives from severe weather through advanced planning, education and awareness.

StormReady takes a grassroots approach to assisting communities with developing plans to handle all kinds of extreme weather. Communities involved in the program are encouraged to take on new, proactive approaches to improving local hazardous weather operations.

The NWS inspected the Emergency Management program, interviewed staff, reviewed plans, and examined community outreach and preparedness education. Historically, we have held this certificationand are proud to continue to be recognized with this distinction. To be 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.