National Weather Service Recognizes Juncos, Puerto Rico as a StormReady® Community

(L to R) – Humacao District Senator Jose L. Dalmau, NWS San Juan MIC Israel Matos, Juncos Chief EM Nilda Moyett, Mayor Alfredo A. Carrion, and Humacao District Senator Jorge Suarez (Photo: NWS San Juan)

(April. 11, 2008) -- Officials from the National Weather Service have recognized the municipality of Juncos, Puerto Rico as a StormReady® community. Juncos is the Commonwealth's third municipality to achieve StormReady® status.

"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 Juncos Mayor Alfredo A. Carrión and Chief Emergency Manager Nilda Moyett. 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 1,344 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.