ANOKA, Minn. – (Oct. 11, 2018) – Anoka County is now one of only 14 counties in Minnesota to have the “Storm Ready” designation from the National Weather Service. The Anoka County Board of Commissioners accepted the designation at the board’s Sept. 25 meeting.
Present at the meeting to talk about what the designation means was Todd Krause, warning coordination meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Chanhassen. Krause explained that Anoka County has taken the necessary steps to ensure it’s ready in the event of a weather-related emergency.
Those steps include: Establishing a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center, having more than one way to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and to alert the public, creating a system that monitors local weather conditions, promoting the importance of public readiness through community seminars, and developing a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.
“I’m truly pleased to say that the emergency management program here in Anoka County is alive and well and doing so many very, very good things,” Krause said.
Anoka County Commissioner Julie Braastad, chair of the county’s Public Safety Committee, said this designation is important and timely, as the nation is watching the disaster relief that is taking place on the East Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. “We don’t have hurricanes, but we experience plenty of severe weather events in our state,” Braastad said. “Being prepared for the worst can help save lives and property.”
