During the spring of 2008, the College of DuPage officially was recognized as a StormReady Community. Our plan is to allow for efficient and immediate communication through email, telephone, and loud speaker allowing for quick response to severe and winter weather hazards. Our volunteers (often seen in orange vests) work tirelessly helping direct students and faculty to places of safety during weather episodes. Those volunteers will have had training in recognizing and reacting to severe weather and thus can be in the right place to direct people. Faculty and staff will be given as much advanced warning as possible of severe weather risks, watches, and warnings and can in-turn lead students to proper places of safety themselves. Our meteorology department will provide additional specific outlooks and forecasts to supplement the job done by the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK and our local National Weather Service office in Romeoville, IL (who issue official severe weather watches and warnings.) During the winter, our local NWS office will provide the winter storm watches and warnings and our meteorology department will provide up to date information to school officials to assist in making decisions concerning school closings and help with preparing for dangerous travel.

The National Weather Service designed StormReady to help communities better prepare for and mitigate effects of extreme weather-related events StormReady also helps establish a commitment to creating an infrastructure and systems that will save lives and protect property. Receiving StormReady recognition does not mean that a community is storm proof, but StormReady communities will be better prepared when severe weather strikes. The College of Dupage was successful in its goal by working with the following departments, whom we appreciate for their hard work:

Meteorology Department (NEXLAB) College of DuPage Police Department

Facilities Department Risk Management

WDCB-FM/HD Radio and the President and Board of Trustees

We would also like to thank the various people at the College of DuPage for making this happen!

Rich Berendson (A/V Department.)
Dave Bukowski (IT & NEXLAB)
Phil Gieschen (Risk Mgmnt)
Chris Miller (Faculty)
Nichole Collins (DuPage OEM)
Brian O'Keefe (WDCB)
Skip Seaman (Engineer)
Ray Snisko and Rick Spiers (COD Public Safety)
Paul Sirvatka, Matt Powers and Evan Anderson (Meteorology)
Gilbert Sebenste (NIU)
Jim Allsopp and Ed Fenelon (NWS-Chicago)

If you are interested in making your community StormReady, check out the NWS National Weather Service StormReady Program page on this topic!