(L to R) - PREMA Director Nazario Lugo, NWS San Juan MIC Israel Matos, San Lorenzo Chief EM Reinaldo Alverio and Mayor Jose Román (Photo: NWS San Juan)
(Oct. 11, 2007) -- Officials from the National Weather Service have recognized the municipality of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico as a StormReady® community. San Lorenzo is the Commonwealth's second municipality to achieve StormReady status. Mayagüez was recognized as StormReady and TsunamiReadyTM in May of 2006.
"StormReady encourages communities to take a new, proactive approach to improving local hazardous weather operations and public awareness," said Israel Matos, meteorologist-in-charge of the NWS forecast office in San Juan. "StormReady arms communities with improved communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property - before and during the event."
During a special ceremony at the municipality's Emergency Management center, Matos presented a recognition letter and special StormReady signs to San Lorenzo Mayor Jose Román and Chief Emergency Manager Reinaldo Alverio. The StormReady recognition will be in effect for three years before the community is required to undergo a renewal process.
The nationwide preparedness program uses a grassroots 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 a partnership between local National Weather Service forecast offices and state and local emergency managers. StormReady started in 1999 with seven communities in the Tulsa area. Today, there are more than 1,250 StormReady sites.
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 holding emergency exercises.
