Now that I’ve applied, what happens next?

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StormReady Verification Visit

Upon receipt of a StormReady application, the StormReady Advisory Board Chairperson will coordinate a team to visit the applicant to formally discuss the application. This verification team will be made up of no less than two members from the StormReady Advisory Board and should be composed of, at a minimum, one NWS person and one emergency manager.

During the site visit, the verification team will visit both the 24-hour warning point and the Emergency Operations Center to verify the readiness of equipment listed in the application. During the site visit, a review of the applicant’s hazardous weather plan will occur. This review may require the applicant to explain procedures to ensure that the content meets StormReady criteria. A full copy of the applicant’s Hazardous Weather Plan does not need to be submitted to the StormReady Advisory Board; however, the verification team may request a copy for further offsite review.

StormReady Board Review

The StormReady Advisory Board shall review a jurisdiction’s application and associated Site Visit Summaries at the local board’s next meeting following the site visit. The Board may approve an application for recognition after this first review.

A quorum of the designated StormReady Advisory Board (at least four out of six members) shall be present to review the application and to vote for its approval. In order for the application to be approved, voting must be unanimous among those board members present at the review meeting.

If the StormReady designation is not approved, the local board shall provide written guidance on improvements needed to achieve the designation. The Board will work closely with the jurisdiction to help them make the recommended improvements. Upon written response from the applying jurisdiction, a subsequent StormReady verification visit and local board review shall be scheduled.

The Recognition Process

When the StormReady Advisory Board determines an applicant has met the guidelines, the Board has the authority to grant recognition. The successful applicant will receive a formal notification letter from the Lubbock NWS Meteorologist-in-Charge, two official 2’ X 2’ StormReady signs, authorization to use the StormReady logo, instructions for acquiring additional roadway signs, and information concerning the notification of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for possible adjustment to insurance rates.

Details of the recognition announcement and ceremony shall be coordinated between the applicant and the Lubbock NWS Office. A typical ceremony would require a formal media announcement and should be a combination of the unveiling of the StormReady signs, presentation of the certificate of recognition, and a subsequent press conference.

Recognition shall be for a period of three years from the date the letter of recognition is signed by the NWS Lubbock MIC.

The Renewal Process

The StormReady Advisory Board shall, six months prior to the expiration of the recognition, notify recognized jurisdictions in writing of their need to re-apply.

For a first time renewal, a copy of the original application will be sent to the local official for review. The local official should certify that the information is still valid and should provide any new information that has been added since the initial application was signed. Once the appropriate official signs the application and returns it to the NWS Lubbock Office, the 3-year renewal will become effective.

Subsequent renewals will require the community to go through the entire application process again. This helps to ensure that essential equipment is in place and updated, contact information is accurate, and allows for improvements to be made to the program with technological advances in communications and warning dissemination.

It is the goal of the StormReady Advisory Board to maintain an atmosphere of constant improvement and strive to keep the evaluation criteria representative of the advancing technology and techniques. The StormReady Advisory Board through the continued cooperation and collaboration of federal, state and local officials may modify the StormReady Program criteria defined in this document. Participants / applicants are reminded that this is a developing program. Therefore, criteria and other details set forth in this plan may need to be adjusted as the program matures.