National Weather Service recognizes Hurlburt Field Published Nov. 15, 2010 By Senior Airman William Banton 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs HURLBURT FIELD, Fla., -- The National Weather Service recognized Hurlburt Field for achieving Storm Ready status as of Nov 10. Hurlburt earned the recognition through a joint cooperative effort led by the 1st Special Operations Support Squadron Weather flight with coordination from the Civil Engineer Readiness and Emergency Management flight. "Getting their mission to meet up with our mission, that really was kind of a challenge," said Tech. Sgt. Ralph Nehring, 1st SOSS weather forecaster. Hurlburt Field voluntarily participated in the Storm Ready program, which helps provide clear guidelines and advice to local community leaders, emergency managers and media to help improve operations during hazardous weather. "Hurlburt Field passed with flying colors," said Jeff Garmon, an NWS warning coordination meteorologist . "Some requirements [needed] four items to be met and they were meeting it with eight or nine." The installation was required to establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center. The 1st SOSS Weather flight established multiple ways to receive severe weather warnings and created multiple ways to alert the public on occurring conditions. The Storm Ready program was started in 1999 in Tulsa, Ok., to help American communities obtain the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property. To become recognized, the NWS conducted two visits to verify the application qualifications and viewed the installation's actual storm ready posture. The Storm Ready program also required Hurlburt Field to develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which included training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises. "Storm Ready doesn't mean storm free," said Mr. Garmon. "It doesn't make you immune to having to deal with the effects of storm weather, it just makes your communities better prepared to deal with those challenges." According to the NWS, 90 percent of all presidentially declared disasters are weather related. "When the NWS issues a severe weather warning, the goal of Storm Ready is to make sure everyone knows about it. They know what to do, they do it and live," said John Ogren, the NWS manager for Storm Ready.