Garland County and the City of Hot Springs became StormReady in April 2001, and in doing so, became one of the earliest StormReady communities in the United States. By working continuously with the National Weather Service Office in Little Rock, Garland County and the City of Hot Springs have renewed their StormReady certification for the sixth time, certifying both communities as StormReady through 2021. The StormReady certification recognizes the hard work that the emergency management of these communities has done to plan for the impacts of severe weather.
The National Weather Service recognized Garland County and the City of Hot Springs as StormReady communities of 17 years during a ceremony at the Arkansas Emergency Management Conference, currently taking place at the Hot Springs Convention Center through Friday. The National Weather Service in Little Rock presented Garland County Judge Rick Davis and Hot Springs Mayor Pat McCabe with renewal certificates that certify both communities as StormReady through 2021.
Becoming StormReady is an important step in helping the residents of Arkansas prepare for the next dangerous weather event. “We can’t do anything to prevent dangerous storms from happening, but we can work together as a team to prepare for dangerous weather and to communicate to everyone in harm’s way as these storms approach,” said Dennis Cavanaugh, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “Garland County and the City of Hot Springs have a great relationship with the National Weather Service, and we are excited that their spirit of preparedness can be recognized for another three years.”