SHSU Earns StormReady Status from National Weather Service

SHSU Earns StormReady Status from National Weather Service

Sam Houston State University has been approved as a StormReady Site by the National Weather Service (NWS) and was recognized by the NWS in a special ceremony on Oct. 23. The ceremony brought safety officials from Walker County and the university, as well as University President Alisa White and Amanda Withers, chief financial officer and senior vice president for operations at SHSU.

Among the group was Lonnie Booker, SHSU’s director of emergency management, who was presented with a sign designating the university’s StormReady status by James Fowler from the National Weather Service.

“To be part of the StormReady program is a much more involved process than regular inclement weather preparedness,” Fowler said.  “You have to have a weather safety plan; you have to make sure there are several ways to get weather alerts out and work with the National Weather Service to have yearly meetings and things of that nature.”

Part of the Weather-Ready Nation initiative, which is dedicated to preparing communities across the country for extreme weather, flooding and other climate events, StormReady Sites offer lifesaving communications and safety skills training to their communities.

Sam Houston State’s StormReady status establishes the university as a reliable information hub for the Huntsville and Walker County communities in times of weather emergencies.

To receive this status, the university

• Established a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center
• Has multiple ways to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and alert the public to them
• Created a system that monitors weather conditions locally
• Promotes the importance of public readiness through seminars and events like Kat Safety Bash
• Developed a formal hazardous weather plan including training for severe weather spotters and held/continues to hold emergency exercises

With these measures in place, the university is taking a proactive approach to serving the community, protecting property and lives by being better prepared before, during and after weather events.

“I think it’s a major feather in the cap of the university to earn this designation,” Booker said. “Now parents, when they send their students down here, they know that we’ve got them and they’ll be safe.”

About StormReady

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.

StormReady communities, counties, Indian nations, universities and colleges, military bases, government sites, commercial enterprises and other groups are better prepared to save lives from the onslaught of severe weather through advanced planning, education and awareness. No community is storm-proof, but StormReady can help communities save lives. To learn more, visit weather.gov/stormready.