As rain continued to drizzle on Athens, Ohio University celebrated its StormReady designation today.
The designation recognizes an institution for being prepared to respond to weather-related emergencies.
The National Weather Service has awarded the StormReady designation to only three universities in Ohio; the others are Wright State University and Xavier University, according to a previous Post article.
OU also is the only higher education institution in the Charleston, W.Va. region of the National Weather Service to have the StormReady designation, according to a university news release.
Members of OU’s chapter of the American Meteorological Society were victorious last year when the university bought 20 severe warning radios for $35.99 each after a tornado swept through Athens County in September 2010.
The successful purchase and setup of the radios — and the resulting training of OU employees regarding how to use the radios and respond to severe weather — helped lead to the StormReady designation.
“(The StormReady designation) signifies that we care,” said Kyle Clem, a senior studying meteorology and president of the OU chapter of the American Meteorological Society, last month. “We’re no longer living with our backs turned to the fact that severe weather won’t happen to us. We now realize that severe weather can happen anywhere at any time.”
OU officials and members of OU’s American Meteorological Society celebrated the StormReady designation today in Baker University Center’s 1804 Lounge.
"This recognition by the National Weather Service illustrates the importance we place on the safety of our university community," said OU President Roderick McDavis in a news release. "It also recognizes our ability to notify and inform our community about weather-related emergencies should they occur. We are very proud of the hard work of our Scalia Lab, American Meteorology Society student chapter, and our Environmental Health and Safety Department, which have worked hard for a better-prepared, well-informed, and safer Ohio University and Athens communities."
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