Palatine is Storm Ready

The National Weather Service awarded the Village of Palatine StormReady certification this month.

Jm Allsopp, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Services, awarded Mayor Jim Schwantz and Palatine Emergency Management Agency Coordinator Tom Smith with the certification.

StormReady is a voluntary program which helps communities better prepare for and mitigate effects of extreme weather-related events. StormReady also helps establish a commitment to creating an infrastructure and systems that will save lives and protect property, the village reports. 

StormReady communities are better prepared to save lives from the onslaught of severe weather through advanced planning, education and awareness, the village reports.

The Palatine Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) working in conjunction with the NWS worked on meeting the standards required to achieve this certification. Requirements included advance warning to residents and staff, trained weather spotters capable of providing the NWS information during storms, providing weather spotter training to the public, creating specific plans for sheltering in place during severe weather and providing NOAA Weather Radios to schools and other locations where large number of people gather.

“Going through this process allowed us to look critically on how we prepare for and respond to extreme weather”, said PEMA Coordinator Tom Smith. “Although no community can proclaim that they are 100% ready for any severe weather event, Palatine has taken steps over the years to be as prepared as reasonable should these incidents occur.”

For more information about the StormReady Program or other emergency management topics, please go to www.palatine-ema.org.