Grays Harbor Emergency Management recognized

Grays Harbor County Emergency Management has been selected as a Weather Ready Nation (WRN) Ambassador of Excellence by the National Weather Service.

Ambassadors of Excellence are a select number of organizations from across the country that have made significant contributions to building a Weather-Ready Nation through their preparedness and public outreach activities, according to the National Weather Service.

“We are very honored to be recognized as a 2021 WRN Ambassador of Excellence by the National Weather Service Seattle team,” said Hannah Cleverly, Grays Harbor Emergency Management Deputy Director.

“We work very close with them and we value their expertise in forecasting and weather prediction. Active weather is no stranger to Grays Harbor County, so we are grateful for their continued partnership to keep our citizens informed and safe.”

Those selected for this recognition are ambassador organizations that inspire others to take action and become ready, responsive and resilient; created innovative ways to engage their community, workforce and social network; formed unique collaborations with NOAA and/or other ambassador organizations to achieve goals they alone could not meet; and embraced building a Weather-Ready Nation for All by addressing vulnerable populations’ needs.”

In its listing among the 2021 recipients, the National Weather Service said Monday, “In addition to their role and sharing of vital weather information as a core partner, Grays Harbor County Emergency Management continues to be a leader as a weather-ready nation ambassador in Western Washington.

“Not only do they proactively share National Weather Service weather information before and during high-impact weather events in their community through their social media platforms, they also relay critical weather information back to the National Weather Service.”

The listing continued, “Grays Harbor County Emergency Management also organizes and hosts regular community preparedness events with the goal of ensuring the population is prepared for all hazards,” and, it “proactively reached out to National Weather Service Seattle when they were bringing their new public alerting system online in order to ensure their population would receive the most timely and accurate information.”

Pacific County got the honor in 2019 for the work of its Emergency Management Director Scott McDougall.

“In addition to his work as emergency manager of Pacific County, and sharing of information in his role as a core partner, (McDougall) is very active in promoting tsunami and all-hazard preparedness throughout his county,” the Pacific County 2019 award listing read.

“(McDougall) also creates a bimonthly preparedness post for the citizens of Pacific County to highlight seasonal natural hazards and tips for preparing for significant weather and flood events.”