First Airport System To Earn Community Recognition

NOAA's National Weather Service recognized the Wayne County Airport Authority (WCAA) this week as the first StormReady airport system in the United States.

"StormReady encourages communities to take a new, proactive approach to improving local hazardous weather operations and public awareness," said Richard Pollman, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at NOAA's Detroit Weather Forecast Office in White Lake, MI. "StormReady arms communities with improved communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property - before and during the event.

"Airports are significantly impacted by weather, and this new designation is reflective of our airports' commitment to operating the safest-possible air transportation facilities for our customers and the communities we serve," said Airport Authority CEO Lester Robinson.

The nationwide community preparedness program uses a grassroots approach to help communities, government entities, universities and businesses 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 the local NWS weather forecast office and state and local emergency managers. StormReady started in 1999 with seven communities in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area. There are now more than 1300 StormReady communities in the United States.

Representatives of the NWS Weather Forecast Office in White Lake presented a recognition letter and special StormReady signs to Robinson at a public ceremony held today at Detroit Metropolitan Airport's L.C. Smith Terminal. The StormReady recognition will be in effect for three years, after which time the Airport Authority will be required to go through a recertification process to maintain accreditation.

To be recognized as StormReady, a community must establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center, and have more than one way to receive severe weather forecasts and warnings and to alert the public. the airport authority also developed a formal hazardous weather plan, which included training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.

"The United States is the most severe weather prone region of the world. The mission of the National Weather Service is to reduce the loss of life and property from these storms, and StormReady will help us create better prepared communities throughout the country," Pollman said.

"We view being the first airport system in the country to receive StormReady designation as more of a responsibility than an honor," Robinson added. "Thanks to the initiative of our Emergency Management team, the Airport Authority plans to engage entities throughout the airport community, in addition to each of our neighboring communities, through our outreach efforts to ensure our airports are the anchors of a greater community ready for all types of severe weather."

FMI: www.noaa.gov, www.weather.gov, www.metroairport.com/, www.stormready.noaa.gov/