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NOAA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DECLARES DISNEYLAND RESORT STORMREADY
July 26, 2006 — Officials from the NOAA National Weather Service have declared Disneyland Resort in California as a StormReady community. Along with the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, the Disneyland Resort joins more than 1,070 StormReady communities throughout the United States and is one of 18 such communities in California.
"More than 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 2,500 floods and 1,000 tornadoes affect the United States annually, with high winds, heavy rain, flooding and thunderstorms likely to affect the southern California region," said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. David L. Johnson, director of the NOAA National Weather Service. "The National Weather Service developed the StormReady program to help protect every American from such hazardous weather."
The nationwide community preparedness program uses a grassroots approach to help communities develop plans to handle local severe weather and flooding threats. The voluntary program provides communities with clear-cut advice from their local NOAA National Weather Service forecast office and state and local emergency managers. The StormReady program began in 1999 with seven communities in the Tulsa, Okla., area.
"StormReady encourages communities to take a proactive approach to improve local hazardous weather operations and public awareness," said Vickie Nadolski, director of the NOAA National Weather Service western region. "In partnership with a local National Weather Service forecast office, StormReady helps communities improve communications and safety resources needed to save lives—before, during and after a weather event."
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; and
- Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and conducting emergency exercises.
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