ULM students, Shreveport MIC Armando Garza; Dr. Anne Case Hanks, Assistant Professor in Atmospheric Sciences; Shreveport WCM Keith Stellman; Nick Halley, ULM Police Dept.; ULM Police Chief Larry Ellerman; and, Dr. Eric Pani, ULM Associate Provost for Academic Affairs (Photo:WFO Shreveport).
(June 4, 2010) -- The University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) has become the first college in Louisiana to achieve StormReady® Status.
Officials from the National Weather Service forecast office in Shreveport celebrated the achievement with university officials, emergency management agency personnel and local media. Forecast office Meteorologist-in-Charge Armando Garza presented certificates and StormReady® signs to University staff during a ceremony held on campus May 10.
"The University is showing leadership by successfully fulfilling the requirements established specifically for universities," said Garza "It is also making history as the first institution of higher learning in Louisiana to be recognized as StormReady."
To become StormReady®, ULM met stringent criteria for its disaster preparedness and severe weather educational activities; and, was approved by an advisory board made up of county emergency managers, representatives from the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and the National Weather Service.
"The program is designed to help StormReady communities improve communication and safety skills needed to save lives — before, during and after a severe weather event," said Keith Stellman, warning coordination meteorologist for the forecast office and an alumnus of the University. The StormReady® recognition expires in three years, after which the University will go through a renewal process.
ULM Police Chief Larry Ellerman spearheaded the University's efforts. "This partnership with the National Weather Service represents our efforts to serve the university community and ensure its safety," said Ellerman. "We're excited to be the first school in Louisiana to receive this designation and look forward to working with the National Weather Service in the future."
With the addition of the ULM, there are 13 StormReady® locations in Louisiana. Nationwide, there are more than 1,600 StormReady® locations in 47 states.
