2005 Spotter Training Schedule

pThe Amarillo National Weather Service (NWS), along with state and local officials of the Texas and Oklahoma Emergency Management, have laid the groundwork for communities across the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles to seek recognition as being "StormReady".

Current StormReady communities across the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles.

StormReady, a voluntary program, is designed to help communities take a pro-active approach to the kinds of severe weather that affect their area by improving local hazardous weather operations and heightening public awareness. Communities work with the local National Weather Service office, state and local emergency managers to become "StormReady". Applications are supplied below.

The program was started by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Tulsa as an effort to educate residents about storm safety. It is now expanding nationwide in an effort to spread information about severe weather preparedness and what to do when severe weather strikes.

For a county or community to be recognized as "StormReady", they must meet predetermined criteria as set by National, Regional, and Local StormReady Advisory Boards. The criteria includes such things as a 24-hour Warning Point and/or Emergency Operations Center, placing NOAA Weather Radios in all locally owned government facilities, and maintaining NWS trained spotter networks.

Emergency Managers can apply for StormReady at this website: http://www.stormready.noaa.gov/howto.htm

The goal of achieving StormReady status is to increase the chances of local citizens surviving a tornado, hurricane, flash flood, tsunami, or whatever type of severe weather threatens their area of the country. "Obviously, tornadoes and severe thunderstorms are the primary focus of the Amarillo StormReady program," said Steve Drillette, NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist. "We hope many panhandle communities will apply and work towards gaining StormReady recognition."

For additional information, or to request an application, call Steve Drillette at the Amarillo National Weather Service Forecast Office at 806-335-1121, or check our website at www.srh.noaa.gov/ama.

For additional information on the StormReady program, visit the http://www.stormready.noaa.gov