This is the third time Westport has achieved this status since the town first applied in May 2007, Kingsbury said in a statement.
To be considered StormReady, Westport had to establish a 24-hour warning and emergency operations center; have multiple ways to receive and send severe weather alerts to the public; create a system that monitors local weather; conduct seminars promoting the importance of public readiness; and create a formal hazardous weather plan, including training of severe weather spotters and emergency drills, Kingsbury said.
Started in 1999 in Tulsa, Okla., the StormReady program provides communities throughout the country with the necessary communication and safety skills to save lives and property, before and during a weather event, according to StormReady website. The program also helps community leaders strengthen local safety programs.
Other StormReady communities in Fairfield County are Norwalk, Ridgefield and Bridgeport, according to the StormReady website.
Kingsbury, along with Deputy Chief Robert Kepchar, Assistant Chief Robert Yost and Assistant Chief Michael Kronick, traveled to the National Weather Service office in Upton, N.Y., on Tuesday to receive Westport's StormReady renewal certificate.
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