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“We want our professionals to
improve their ability to be prepared for and respond to emergencies. If we
learn to help ourselves first, we will be more ready to help our clients –
the people who depend on us for information. Breathitt County is the first,
but hopefully all Kentucky counties will want to follow suite.”
Tom Priddy
UK Agricultural Meteorologist |
By Aimee Nielson
LEXINGTON, Ky., (Nov. 11, 2005) – Recent tornadoes and severe weather in western
Kentucky and Indiana have made many people aware that storm preparedness is the
key to surviving weather emergencies. The Breathitt County Extension office
recently was named the first in the nation to be recognized by the National
Weather Service as a StormReady Supporter.
University of Kentucky Agricultural Meteorologist Tom Priddy developed the NWS
criteria for Cooperative Extension offices to become StormReady Supporters.
“Extension’s role is to provide a service to Kentuckians,” Priddy said. “We want
our professionals to improve their ability to be prepared for and respond to
emergencies. If we learn to help ourselves first, we will be more ready to help
our clients – the people who depend on us for information. Breathitt County is
the first, but hopefully all Kentucky counties will want to follow suite.”
StormReady Supporter criteria include having a communications plan for
emergencies; NWS reception capability, including the presence of a NOAA weather
radio; access to radar data via Internet, radio or television; a way to
disseminate emergency information; office staff education; and working with
local emergency officials to carry out preparedness plans. Specific criteria
details can be viewed online at
http://wwwagwx.ca.uky.edu/criteria2.htm.
Breathitt County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences Martha Yount
led the way for her county to achieve StormReady Supporter status.
“We may not need to worry about the hurricanes and tsunamis here in Kentucky,”
she said. “But every year we experience flooding, snow, ice, and heavy winds. It
only makes sense to be prepared.”
Yount said the certification process didn’t take long to complete and added that
it wasn’t difficult to accomplish. She is hopeful other counties will want to
get on board soon.
“It just makes everything go smoothly in case of severe weather during work
hours or when holding an after-hours meeting,"
Yount said. "We may never
need any of the supplies or the action plan, but it is a sense of relief that we
would know what to do and be prepared."
Priddy said the idea behind county offices becoming certified is to encourage
employees to think about preparedness.
“Maybe they will go home and prepare a disaster kit for their family,” he said.
“Maybe they will come up with their own personal communications plan and tell
their neighbors. As we saw in Louisiana and other places struck by weather
emergencies this year, sometimes it takes awhile for help to come, so we need to
learn to help ourselves in the meantime.”
The UK weather center is offering a free NOAA weather radio to the first county
Extension office in each district to complete a two-hour NWS basic, severe
weather training session. For more information contact Priddy at (859) 257-3000,
ext. 245.
Writer:
Aimee Nielson
859-257-4736, ext. 267
Contact:
Tom Priddy 859-157-3000, ext. 245
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