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NOAA04-R299-49 |
NOAA
News Releases 2004 NOAA Home Page NOAA Public Affairs |
| NOAA RECOGNIZES OCEANPORT BOROUGH, N.J., “STORMREADY” Officials from the NOAA National Weather Service recognized Oceanport Borough in Monmouth County, N.J., by naming it among the agency’s “StormReady” communities today. NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. “StormReady encourages communities to take a new, proactive approach toward improving local hazardous weather operations and public awareness,” said Gary Szatkowski, meteorologist-in-charge at the NWS Weather Forecast Office in Mount Holly, N.J. “New Jersey has a long history of severe weather and it is the goal of StormReady to reduce the impact of severe weather in the state. The state experiences about a half dozen weather-related fatalities per year and we are working hard to reduce that number.” The nationwide community preparedness program uses a grassroots approach to help communities develop plans to handle local severe weather and flooding threats. The program is voluntary, and provides communities with clear-cut advice from a partnership between the local NWS Weather Forecast Office and state and local emergency managers. StormReady started in 1999 with seven communities in the Tulsa, Okla., area. There are now more than 800 StormReady communities in 47 states, 13 of which are now located in New Jersey. The presentation of the certificate to the Mayor of Oceanport, the Honorable Maria Gatta, will occur today at the regularly scheduled Borough meeting. The StormReady recognition will be in effect for three years, at which time the community will go through a recertification process. “Every year, around 500 Americans lose their lives to severe weather and floods,” said Brig. Gen. David L. Johnson, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), director of NOAA's National Weather Service. “More than 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 2,500 floods, 1,000 tornadoes annually, and hurricanes are a threat to the Gulf and East Coasts. Potentially deadly weather can impact every person in the country. That’s why the NOAA's National Weather Service developed the StormReady program.” To be recognized as StormReady, a community must:
“The United States is the most severe weather prone region of the world,” Szatkowski said. “The mission of the National Weather Service is to reduce the loss of life and property from these storms, and StormReady helps us create better prepared communities throughout the country.” “Just like communities, families need to be storm ready by having an action plan for severe weather. Through StormReady, the National Weather Service plans to educate every American about what to do when severe weather strikes because it is ultimately each individual's responsibility to protect him or herself. Only you can save your own life. The best warnings in the world won't save you if you don't take appropriate action when severe weather threatens,” Szatkowski added. NOAA's National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. The NOAA’s National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy. NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. On the Web: |
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