Latest news with #StormReady
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Children's Home Association of Illinois earns StormReady status
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — On a fittingly overcast Thursday afternoon, the Children's Home Association of Illinois received a StormReady certification by the National Weather Service. John Lundy, safety coordinator for the Children's Home, has put in lots of work and credits his staff for their support to create a place that can weather any storm. 'We want to make it a safe environment for our clients, for our students, for our staff, any visitors that come in during the event of severe weather that they would have a safe place to go,' he said. 'That has been looked over by the National Weather Service, by the meteorologists there.' To get this honor, Children's Home had to get working weather radios and a point of warning that is able to go through their phones. Ed Shimon, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service, handed Lundy a plaque of recognition, and then posed for a photo with Lundy, who held a sign that said 'We are StormReady.' Lundy's two daughters then walked up to the front of the Children's Home conference room and presented their dad with a sign that said 'Congrats Agent Lundy,' — John's nickname. The poster was decorated with pictures of Lundy and his daughters glued to the poster. 'I hope this is a catalyst for other organizations thinking about StormReady,' Shimon said. 'It's worth the effort and the community benefits, not only the organization, but the community as a whole benefit from the actions that you take to protect yourself and become StormReady.' When asked if the safety department of the Children's Home had a slogan, Lundy said, 'Stay vigilant, stay aware and always be prepared.' In a Facebook post, Children's Home Association of Illinois said, 'We are thrilled to be the 4th organization in the city of Peoria and Peoria County taking action to keep our employees, clients, and visitors safe, especially during Severe Weather Preparedness Month.' Weather Forecast: Warming things up with storm chances On the National Weather Service's website, it describes the weather preparedness program by saying, '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.' To become StormReady, you have to apply. The guidelines to be certified on the NWS website are as follows: '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 find how to apply to be StormReady, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
18-03-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Pittsburgh Zoo named "StormReady" by National Weather Service
Just a few days before the Pittsburgh region saw severe weather, the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium officially became a StormReady community. The Pittsburgh Zoo announced on Friday that it's now the first zoo in the state and fourth in the country to receive this designation from the National Weather Service. Being StormReady will help keep staff in the know 24/7 and help them protect animals and people when bad weather rolls in. May 17, 2024, was a particularly wild day at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. "We were kind of closing up close to the end of the day here at the zoo. We had warnings go off on our phones and we had a few guests on the grounds. We did go ahead, and pull them into safety. We had animals that we were able once again to go ahead and get into safe areas. So we did absolutely see just a funnel cloud kind of going past here at the zoo," said Katie Hughes, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. The NWS confirmed an EF0 tornado with 85 mph winds passed through the zoo that day, taking down trees and fences. The zoo's staff, visitors, and more than 8,000 animals were safe due to swift action. Nearly a year later, the zoo is certified as StormReady by the National Weather Service. Hughes said they applied for the program because they already know what to do to protect lives when a storm strikes. "We do have plenty of emergency procedures and we have ones for a variety of weather types, extreme heat, extreme cold, snow, heavy rain, flooding, and all of these things are things we already drill for and prepare for. And that aligns with the StormReady program," Hughes said. She said partnering with the NWS takes their emergency readiness to the next level. "We received some new radios that kind of give us some emergency alerts that come directly from them. We did join a few platforms that they have. So we're on some message boards and texts with them. And it is very nice now that we are in direct communication with the National Weather Service. We are able to share data with them. So, they share with us, we share back," said Hughes. The Zoo was put to the test Sunday afternoon. Hazardous weather rolled through, and the zoo proved to be more ready than ever. "They were calling for a severe weather warning in the area as well as a tornado any animals that shouldn't be out in weather like that, we have indoor areas to keep them safe and secure. And then we were also messaging to our guests. We did have a shelter in place for a period of time. So we made sure that guests were able to get to the shelter," said Hughes. "Sure enough, we did have hail, minor debris down, a few things knocked over, but everybody got through it nice and safe," she added. Being StormReady will especially also ensure the zoo is ahead of the game with forecasts for big events such as Summer Safari.
