Mayor Joseph P. Ganim
Bridgeport, CT
For Immediate Release
May 21, 2019
For More information:
Dalmarys Matos (203) 576-7201
dalmarys.matos@bridgeportct.gov
Press Release
National Weather Service says Bridgeport is StormReady
Bridgeport, CT – The Bridgeport Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security (OEMHS) today received the National Weather Service’s StormReady designation in recognition of efforts and ongoing preparations to make the community safer for severe weather conditions through emergency readiness and procedures.
Director of OEMHS Scott Appleby said, “Everyone plays a role in preparing for hazards. Over the past several years, we as a city experienced some devastating damages due to severe weather. Damages from the 2010 Tornado, Super Storm Sandy, Tropical Storm Irene and our September Flash Flooding event, to name a few, are still etched in our minds. As the Bridgeport Emergency Communications and Operations Center (ECOC), we want to ensure that we and the residents are prepared now and into the future.”
StormReady uses a grassroots approach to help communities develop plans to handle all types of extreme weather—from tornadoes to winter storms. The program encourages communities to take a new, proactive approach to improving local hazardous weather operations by providing emergency managers with clear-cut guidelines on how to improve their hazardous weather operations.
To be officially StormReady, a community must:
- Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center
- Have more than one way to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and to alert the public
- Create a system that monitors weather conditions locally
- Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars
- Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.
The OEMHS has conducted many community preparedness seminars annually to childcare providers and businesses to provide guidance on what to do, where to go and who to call before, during and after a natural disaster has impacted our city. The ECOC has also designed and held disaster drills for various schools, including the University of Bridgeport, to safeguard the students, faculty and staff. The ECOC has participated in various State of Connecticut Governor drills designed to test our plans and procedures for response and recovery operations.
Residents can sign up to be alerted on various emergencies such as weather events either by registering with the Bridgeport ECOC at: https://veoci.com/veoci/p/form/y9qpadaf4mq9 or by calling 203-579-3829 or through CT Alert: https://www.ctalert.gov/ctalert/site/default.asp
Mayor Ganim and the City of Bridgeport encourage everyone to have a plan, make an emergency kit, stay informed and get involved. We all have a role in making the City of Bridgeport a “Ready Community”!
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