Alabama EMA Regional Coordinator Ricky Little, Talladega Co. Commission Chairman Kelvin Cunningham, Superspeedway VP/GM Rick Humphrey, Birmingham MIC Jim Stefkovich and NWS Southern Region Acting Director Steven Cooper (Photo: WFO Birmingham)

(Jan. 11, 2007) -- Acting National Weather Service Southern Region Director Steven Cooper, Birmingham Weather Forecast Office Meteorologist-in-Charge Jim Stefkovich, and Warning Coordination Meteorologist Jason Wright presented a StormReady® Supporter certificate to Talladega Superspeedway officials in a special ceremony at the infield media center.

The StormReady program uses a grassroots approach to help communities develop plans to protect residents from tornado outbreaks, local severe weather, hurricanes and flooding events; and, to help communities inform residents of threats associated with each. The program is voluntary and provides communities with clear-cut advice through a partnership between the local National Weather Service office and state, county and local emergency managers.

StormReady started in 1999 with seven communities in the Tulsa, Okla., area. There are now more than 1,135 StormReady designations throughout the United States - including 23 StormReady Supporters. Alabama has 35 StormReady counties, five StormReady communities and five StormReady Supporters.

StormReady Supporters may be businesses, hospitals, malls, schools, county extension agencies or other local entities that promote the principles and guidelines of the StormReady program through severe weather safety and awareness plans -- but do not have the resources to meet full StormReady requirements.

To be recognized as StormReady, a community must:

• establish a 24 hour warning point and emergency operations center;
• have multiple ways to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and to alert the public;
• create a system that monitors weather conditions locally;
• promote public readiness through community outreach and education; and
• develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.

However, an entity may be eligible as a StormReady Supporter based on the bylaws of the local National Weather Service StormReady Advisory Board and the endorsement of local emergency management.

NWS Southern Region Acting Director Steven Cooper (third from right-front) and Birmingham MIC Jim Stefkovich (far right) join local emergency management, county and track officials on the Talladega Superspeedway infield (Photo: WFO Birmingham)