The National Weather Service certified Scott County, Minnesota as StormReady at the county board meeting on Tuesday, February 21.  Scott County is the twelfth county in Minnesota and the third in the metro area to receive such status.  The National Weather Service enjoys a strong relationship with Scott County.
 

Pictured from left to right: Sheriff Luke Hennen, Commissioner Dave Beer, SAFCOM Board Member Mark Lannon, Commissioner Barb Weckman-Brekke, Commissioner Tom Wolf, SAFCOM President Todd Anderson, Scott County Emergency Management Director Scott Haas, Commissioner Michael Bear, NWS Senior Meteorologist Bill Borghoff, Commissioner Jon Ulrich, SAFCOM Board Member M. Rowland Hill, SAFCOM Board Member Pam Boomgaarden.
 

Americans live in the most severe weather-prone country on Earth. You can make sure your community is StormReady. Some 98 percent of all presidentially declared disasters are weather related, leading to around 500 deaths per year and nearly $15 billion in damage. The StormReady program helps arm America's communities with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property--before, during and after the event. StormReady helps community leaders and emergency managers strengthen local safety programs.

StormReady communities, counties, Indian tribal governments, universities and colleges, military bases, government sites, commercial enterprises and other groups are better prepared to save lives from the onslaught of severe weather through advanced planning, education and awareness. No community is storm proof, but StormReady can help communities save lives.

StormReady uses a grassroots approach to help communities respond to extreme weather—from tornadoes to hurricanes. StormReady helps communities respond to hazardous weather by providing emergency managers with clear-cut guidelines on how to improve their hazardous weather operations. Applying is easy. To be officially 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.

To apply, please visit the following link for more information: https://www.weather.gov/stormready/become