National Weather Service Recognizes Binghamton University as StormReady

From National Weather Service:

National Weather Service officials have recognized Binghamton as a StormReady University, making it only the third University in New York to receive the designation.

“StormReady encourages communities including universities to take a proactive approach to improving local hazardous weather operations and public awareness in partnership with their local National Weather Service office," said David J. Nicosia, Warning Coordination Meteorologist of the National Weather Service Binghamton forecast office.

Nicosia will present university officials with StormReady signs during a ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 20th at Cooper Administration Building, Binghamton University.

The nationwide community preparedness program uses a grass-roots 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 the local National Weather Service forecast office and state and local emergency managers. The program began in 1999 with seven communities in the Tulsa, Okla., area. Today, there are more than 2,000 StormReady communities. Binghamton University is the third University in New York to be designated as StormReady.

“We are very proud to receive the StormReady certification. The program enables us to improve safety and communication needed to save lives – before, during and after a severe weather event,” said Dave Hubeny, Director of Emergency Management.

To be recognized as a StormReady university, a university 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; and develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.

The StormReady program is part of the National Weather Service's working partnership with emergency management at the local, county, state and university level. The StormReady recognition expires in three years, after which the university will go through a renewal process.

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The National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. Working with partners, NOAA’s National Weather Service is building a Weather-Ready Nation to support community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather. Visit us online at weather.gov and join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels.