StormReady communities in North Carolina | 07.06.2007 | 06:39:17 | Views: 5539 | ID: July 6 '07: The Rocky Mount Telegram in North Carolina reported that the city has received a fifth consecutive "StormReady" designation from the National Weather Service for its efforts to prepare residents, businesses and schools for the 2007 hurricane season. The StormReady program has more than 1,200 military, state, local and tribal communities working to prepare for tsunamis, hurricanes and other severe weather. Currently, there are only 2 cities in North Carolina with the StormReady designation - the other NC city Concord has received the preparedness title as well. Rocky Mount city officials said they have been working to keep the city prepared for a hurricane since 2002 when Hurricane Floyd destroyed much of the area. Rocky Mount Fire Chief Keith Harris told the Telegram, "Rocky Mount was ground zero for one of the worst natural disasters ever to strike ... Having been through that, it certainly puts an emphasis on emergency preparedness." The Telegram reported, 'The city is also working to improve public awareness. Kim Wittig, the fire department's life safety educator, says she gives several lectures a year upon request about what people can do to prepare themselves for a natural disaster, including one at a family reunion." To help prepare the community to be StormReady, "the city now has weather radios in every school, a farther-reaching and more responsive alert system and better river gauges to help officials predict if a flood is imminent."
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