Pantex and Carson County Ready for Weather

  • Posted: Sunday, August 24, 2014, 12:00 am

Plant and county work together to become ambassadors for preparedness

On the flat plains of the Texas Panhandle, clouds gather quickly and weather can rapidly turn dangerous. When storms threaten, the key to safety is being prepared to respond to any type of weather situation.

The Pantex Plant and Carson County are taking the next step in weather preparedness, establishing themselves with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) Ambassadors. WRN is a new initiative from NOAA to spread critical information to residents about how to respond in a weather emergency.

The WRN Ambassadors initiative identifies partners willing to help unify efforts across government, non-profits, academia and private industry to make the nation more ready, responsive and resilient against severe weather.

Pantex is the first Department of Energy (DOE) facility and Carson County is the first Panhandle local government to be recognized as WRN Ambassadors. In recognition of that fact, Carson County commissioners today passed a proclamation naming September as Carson County and Pantex Plant’s PrepareAthon! Month of Action.

“Pantex is fully committed to preparing for all types of emergencies, which allows us to help protect our employees, our neighbors and the critical work we do at the plant,” said Pantex Site Manager Michelle Reichert. “We are honored to be recognized and look forward to continue working with our longtime partner, Carson County.”

The PrepareAthon month will involve a variety of activities to help educate residents and Pantexans about the dangers of severe weather and what can be done to prepare for frequent Panhandle storms. As WRN Ambassadors, Pantex and Carson County will work with other agencies, municipalities and facilities to become weather ready and to increase preparedness in the area.

“Carson County and Pantex have a long history of working together to respond to all types of emergencies,” said Carson County Judge Lewis Powers. “Preparedness is the key to that effort, and in the Texas Panhandle, one of the most important things to prepare for is severe weather.”

Carson County was declared StormReady by the National Weather Service in 2006, while Pantex received the designation in December, 2012, becoming the first facility of its type to be recognized in that program for its weather preparedness.

Pantex will officially receive its designation as a WRN ambassador in a ceremony at the plant on September 2, and Carson County will receive its designation on Sept. 22.

More information on the WRN program and steps residents can take to prepare for severe weather are available from NOAA here: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation/force.html

CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560
gcunning@pantex.com