BREAKING NEWS! Sandwich receives NWS StormReady Accreditation!
What is StormReady and why is it important for Sandwich?
Being part of a Weather-Ready Nation is about preparing ourselves and our citizens for extreme weather and water events. Achieving StormReady accreditation is a commitment managed by the Sandwich Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for the City of Sandwich, IL and is a confirmation of the work we do daily to help the community with the preparedness, communication, and safety skills needed to save lives and property—before, during, and after the event. This program provides weather related collaboration, tools, information, and skills to help community leaders and emergency managers strengthen local safety programs. The SEMA organization has been a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador since 2017 and maintains 6 outdoor warning sirens within the city limits. In addition, we have maintained a Facebook page for nearly 14 years. Being StormReady accredited, demonstrates the ability of SEMA support the all phases of our emergency operations plan (EOP) and every phase of emergency response which includes: Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.
How does this benefit the City of Sandwich?
The StormReady designation is just one part of the larger Federal National Preparedness directive. Specifically for the City of Sandwich, this also is a key component of our larger city-wide Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). The StormReady accreditation ensures that the City utilizes and follows best practices to educate, prepare, and respond to significant hazardous weather events.
An example of this collaboration in action was the February 27, 2024 severe weather event which saw 32 tornados reported in the area. Several of these verified tornado’s were in close proximity to the Sandwich area such as: Waterman, Hinkley, Sugar Grove among others. Close collaboration with the NWS as well as other local and county emergency management agencies allowed the SEMA team to monitor and alert our residents to the severe weather through our Facebook page as well as activation of our outdoor warning sirens on that evening.
Background
In February of 2024, the SEMA team submitted the City of Sandwich’s application to the StormReady Board. This was a continuation of work that had begun earlier under previous Director Tom Ciciora. In July of 2024, five members of the StormReady Board conducted a site visit and review of the City’s StormReady application. This process required the SEMA team to explain in detail the answers outlined in the submitted application. After completing their assessment, the StormReady Board approved the City of Sandwich for accreditation. StormReady certification is good for 4 years. The City will reapply for certification in 2028.
What is StormReady?
StormReady is a component of the larger Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) initiative sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Nearly 98% of Presidentially declared disasters are weather related leading to around 500 deaths per year and nearly $15B in damage. The WRN programs goals are to empower partners and communities to work with NOAA and other Ambassadors to improve communication and strengthen national resilience against extreme weather hazards. To be officially StormReady, a community must implement, demonstrate, and practice several key capabilities which includes:
- Establishment of a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center
- Have multiple ways to receive and alert the public to severe weather warnings and forecasts
- Provide a process that monitors weather conditions locally and partner across various organizations to facilitate public awareness for hazardous conditions
- Develop and maintain a hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and exercises these skills
- Promote the importance of public weather-readiness at all levels within a community
The program encourages communities to take a community-based approach to improving local hazardous weather operations at all levels including: government, business, and individual.
Want more information on being a Weather-Ready Nation?
Being a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador is not just for government entities. Businesses and individuals benefit from becoming engaged and better prepared for extreme weather conditions. For more information on becoming a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador or on the NWS StormReady program please click on the links below: