Tropical Storm Bertha in the Gulf; Severe Weather in the East on Tuesday

Tropical Storm Bertha could bring tropical storm conditions to portions of the Florida Panhandle and Alabama coast through Wednesday, where a Tropical Storm Watch and Storm Surge Watch is in effect. Numerous severe thunderstorms with heavy rainfall are expected from the Ohio Valley into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Tuesday. Read More >

Local Recognitions
About StormReady
How to Apply

Local Area StormReady® Recognitions

Communities

Rock Island Arsenal (Garrison and JMTC)
Galva, IL

Counties

Benton County, IA
Buchanan County, IA
Cedar County, IA
Clinton County, IA
Delaware County, IA
Des Moines County, IA
Dubuque County, IA
Iowa County, IA
Johnson County, IA
Jones County, IA
Linn County, IA
Louisa County, IA
McDonough County, IL
Mercer County, IL
Rock Island County, IL
Scott County, Iowa
Stephenson County, IL
Washington County, IA

Universities

Augustana College
Monmouth College
The University of Iowa
University of Dubuque

StormReady Supporters

KCRG-TV9
Deere & Company World Headquarters
Kirkwood Community College
McDonough District Hospital
Howard H. Cherry Scout Reservation
MidAmerican Energy Riverside Generating Station
Johnson County Conservation Board (F.W. Kent Park)

About StormReady_®

Ninety percent of all presidential declared disasters are weather related, leading to around 500 deaths per year and nearly $14 billion in damage. To help Americans guard against the ravages of severe weather, the National Weather Service has designed StormReady, a program aimed at arming America's communities with the communication and safety skills necessary to save lives and property.

StormReady prepares communities with an action plan that responds to the risk of all types of severe weather - from tornadoes to tsunamis. The entire community from the mayor, emergency managers, to business leaders and civic groups can take the lead on becoming StormReady. Local National Weather Service forecast offices work with communities to complete an application and review process. To be recognized as StormReady, a community must:

Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center;
Have more than one way to receive severe weather forecasts and warnings and to alert the public;
Create a system that monitors local weather conditions;
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.

Organizations not meeting the guidelines for full StormReady recognition may qualify as a StormReady Supporter. StormReady Supporters promote the principles and guidelines of the StormReady program. Examples of potential StormReady Supporters include businesses, hospitals, shopping centers and malls, schools, state parks, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions
Population-Based Guidelines
National StormReady Page
StormReady Flyer (printable pdf)
StormReady Supporter Flyer (printable pdf)

How to Be Recognized as StormReady®

There are three easy steps to becoming StormReady in the NWS Quad Cities area of responsibility. If you have jurisdiction over a community as well as unincorporated areas of the surrounding county, you only need to submit one application with the combined populations.

For locations within the NWS Quad Cities area of responsibility, contact timothy.j.gunkel@noaa.gov (Note: If you are from outside the NWS Quad Cities area of responsibility, contact the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at your local NWS office.)
Review the StormReady guidelines for your type of community/organization:

StormReady Guidelines for Communities, Counties, Colleges, etc.
StormReady Supporter Guidelines for Schools
StormReady Supporter Guidelines for Hospitals
StormReady Supporter Guidelines for Event Venues (Stadiums, Fairgrounds, Parks, etc.)
StormReady Supporter Guidelines for Businesses, Manufacturing Facilities, etc.
StormReady Supporter Guidelines for All Others

Fill out the appropriate form and send it to timothy.j.gunkel@noaa.gov. Please include a copy of the severe weather portion of your preparedness and response plan(s).

Communities, counties, colleges, etc: fillable, savable form

What happens next?

Your application will be reviewed by NWS Quad Cities.
We may ask for clarifications or note areas of concern throughout the process.
When it appears that the guidelines have been met, we will contact you to arrange a site visit.
Once any outstanding issues have been resolved, we will approve your application.
Once the application has been approved, we can help you arrange an optional recognition ceremony