Grand Rapids named a Storm Ready community

Grand Rapids named a Storm Ready community

Published on August 02, 2024

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The National Weather Service (NWS) has formally presented its StormReady® Designation to the City of Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids is the largest city in the State to be designated a storm ready community and it joins more than 3,474 sites in the United States and 63 in Michigan that are NWS StormReady®

Allison Farole, Grand Rapids' emergency management administrator, said that being part of a Weather-Ready Nation is about preparing for our community's increased vulnerability to extreme weather and water events. As an official StormReady® community, the City of Grand Rapids:

• Established a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center
• Has more than one way to receive weather warnings and forecasts and to alert the public
• Created a system that monitors weather conditions locally
• Promoted the importance of public readiness through community seminars
• Developed a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises

StormReady® uses a grassroots approach to help communities develop plans to handle all types of extreme weather-from tornadoes to winter storms. The program encourages communities to take a new, proactive approach to improving local hazardous weather operations by providing emergency managers with clear-cut guidelines on how to improve their hazardous weather operations. Some 98 percent of all Presidentially declared disasters are weather related, leading to around 500 deaths per year and nearly $15 billion in damage. The StormReady® program helps arm America's communities with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property--before, during and after the event. StormReady® helps community leaders and emergency managers strengthen local safety programs.

Nathan Jeruzal, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, presented the City with the StormReady® designation Tuesday. At the presentation before the City Commission's Public Safety Committee, he said, "Over the past few years, Grand Rapids has experienced tornadoes, flooding from heavy rainfall and ice jams in the Grand River so we are not strangers to that type of weather. Obviously, that weather can have a big impact on the citizens of this city. So having the procedures in place with all the different monitoring situations, and having the staff in place, can help to make this city as safe as possible. Can we stop the weather from hurting people and creating damage? No. But what we can do is mitigate the loss of life or injury to people as much as possible and mitigate damage. That's why this designation is really important. We might be StormReady®, but not storm proof. Essentially, this city is as prepared as possible for those weather scenarios."

City Manager Mark Washington congratulated the Office of Emergency Management for the accomplishment, saying, "I want to thank Ms. Farole for her leadership in making sure that we are always planning, so whenever an incident happens, we, as Nathan said, aren't storm proof, but we are as prepared as possible. I want to thank her for achieving this level of preparedness and extend my appreciation to all the first responders and employees who are part of the Emergency Operations Center when activated."

The Grand Rapids Office of Emergency Management encourages all residents and businesses to be StormReady® and sign up for free emergency alerts. Alerts include weather warnings, water boil notices, evacuation notices and other emergency messages. To sign up online, CLICK HERE.

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