Yuma County has again received StormReady recognition from NOAA’s National Weather Service, a designation that reflects verified capabilities for communicating urgent information and coordinating response during severe weather and flooding.

StormReady is a National Weather Service program that encourages communities to strengthen hazardous-weather operations through redundancy, coordination and preparedness. The program emphasizes having more than one way to receive warnings and forecasts and having more than one way to alert the public, as well as maintaining formal plans, training and exercises.

“StormReady recognition reflects practical, tested steps that help warnings move quickly from forecasters to the people who need them,” said Yuma County Emergency Management Director Tony Badilla. “That means multiple ways to receive and share official alerts, trained partners who can relay information during fast-moving events, and plans that help agencies coordinate decisions that protect lives and property.”

The National Weather Service office in Phoenix notified County officials that the renewal is valid for four years, with the next renewal due in 2030. Yuma County has been recognized as a StormReady community since 2018. StormReady recognition is issued on a four-year cycle and requires communities to renew to confirm they continue meeting National Weather Service standards.

To maintain the designation, County emergency planning and communications include redundant methods to receive hazardous-weather information and distribute it to local agencies and the public, including NOAA Weather Radio, National Weather Service email distribution and communications support through local partners and amateur radio volunteers. The County also maintains multiple pathways for relaying official watches and warnings to residents and organizations, including the Emergency Alert System, Integrated Public Alert and Warning System messaging through the County’s Rave alerting system, social media, and information shared through public information officers and traditional media. When needed, first responders may assist with door-to-door notifications.

The StormReady renewal also reflects continued readiness actions such as keeping the County Emergency Operations Plan and related hazard plans current, including multi-hazard planning and hazard-specific plans for flooding and wildfires that incorporate weather-driven impacts. The County maintains the ability to activate an Emergency Operations Center to support coordination during weather-related incidents, and it participates in weather-focused drills, exercises or real-world events. Ongoing coordination with the National Weather Service includes the use of NWSChat and participation in briefings and email updates, as well as trainings, meetings and office visits.

As part of related preparedness efforts, the County maintains distribution lists of community and organizational contacts, including leadership, first responders, nongovernmental partners and identified critical facilities. Emergency Management also supports preparedness outreach and volunteer programs, including Community Emergency Response Team and Yuma Auxiliary Communications.

The National Weather Service also noted the County’s role as a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador, a NOAA partnership that recognizes organizations that help improve readiness and resilience to extreme weather, water and climate events through outreach and shared messaging.

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