By Elizabeth Owens-Schiele | Pioneer Press
The village of Barrington has been designated StormReady by the National Weather Service, joining 93 Illinois communities in being prepared for weather disasters.
Mick Fleming, director of the Joint Emergency Management System, and Mike Bardou of the National Weather Service, presented the designation to Village President Karen Darch during the Nov. 13 board meeting.
Barrington fire Chief John Christian, police Chief Dave Dorn and Village Manager Scott Anderson worked closely with Fleming and others over the last year composing emergency management plans, warnings and community outreach to receive the designation in late October from the National Weather Service, officials explained.
“No community is storm proof but we can be storm-ready to help us save lives,” Fleming said, quoting the motto of the National Weather Service and commending the work conducted by village staff which he described as “no small feat.”
Bardou said the process to become StormReady is not simple and is an ongoing process that will be evaluated again in four years by the National Weather Service.
“There’s more and more severe weather occurring, winter weather, thunderstorms, flooding and our goal is to build a weather [plan] so every community is ready before, during and after severe weather events, and a lot of planning and communication is involved,” he said.
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