ST. GEORGE — Utah Tech University is now recognized as a StormReady community by the National Weather Service’s Weather Forecast Office in Salt Lake City, according to a news release issued by the university last week.
As a StormReady program, Utah Tech is prepared with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property before, during and after extreme weather and water events. Josh Thayn, executive director of university safety and risk management at Utah Tech, said in the news release that this weather service designation helps the university better understand meteorology and its involvement in planning for weather-related activity on campus.
“It gives University Safety, Emergency Management, venue managers, event coordinators and athletic officials the tools they need to make the appropriate and safest decisions for our campus games and events,” he added.
To earn the StormReady designation, Utah Tech’s Safety & Risk Management Department demonstrated the ability to operate an emergency operations center, established more than one way to receive and share severe weather warnings, created a system that monitors weather conditions locally, promoted the importance of public readiness through community seminars and developed a formal hazardous weather plan.
“We look forward to utilizing our training and collaborating resources within our newly established Severe/Inclement Weather plan,” Thayn said.
To learn more about the StormReady program, visit this link, or for more information about Utah Tech University’s efforts to reduce risks, visit this link.