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Olathe receives StormReady honor, July 29

Last week, Olathe became one of only six communities in Kansas and the first in Johnson County to earn the honorable designation of StormReady® from the National Weather Service. StormReady® is a national program that gives communities the skills and education needed to survive severe weather, before and during the event. The nationwide community preparedness program uses a grassroots and pro-active approach to help communities develop plans to improve local hazardous weather operations and public awareness for local severe weather threats. StormReady® communities are better prepared to save lives from the onslaught of severe weather through advanced planning, education and awareness, according to the NWS. Learn more at www.StormReady.NOAA.gov.

"Every year around 500 Americans lose their lives to severe weather. The numbers are startling with 10,000 thunderstorms, 2,500 floods and 1,000 tornadoes impacting the U.S. each year," said Julie Adolphson, Meteorologist-In-Charge of the NWS Kansas City Weather Forecast Office located in Pleasant Hill, Missouri. "Because potentially deadly severe weather can impact every American, the NWS developed StormReady®, a program to help guard against the ravages of Mother Nature.”

To become a StormReady® Community, a jurisdiction must successfully address the program’s six categories and respective guidelines. The categories are: Communication, NWS Information Reception, Hydrometeorlogical Monitoring, Local Warning Dissemination, Community Preparedness and Administrative. The six StormReady® Kansas communities are Cherryvale, Horton, Olathe, Overbrook, Scranton and Wamego.

Assistant Fire Chief and Deputy Emergency Management Director Tim Richards said, “We are honored to have received the StormReady designation.” He added, “Initiatives like this help ensure that the community is better prepared for severe weather events.”

Olathe libraries still available as cooling centers, July 26

Heat is the number one weather-related killer according to the National Weather Service. It kills more people each year than tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and lightning combined.

In response to another excessive heat warning from the NWS for July 26-28, the City of Olathe Fire Department’s Office of Emergency Management and Olathe Public Library announce the continuing availability of two cooling centers. The centers offer people temporary relief from the heat. Those who participate are encouraged to bring necessary, personal items like medicines, ready-to-eat snacks, etc.

The temporary centers are located at Olathe’s two public libraries:

Olathe Main Library (201 E. Park Street), enter through the main entrance.
     Monday - Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Indian Creek Branch (12990 S. Black Bob)
     Monday - Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.