Van Wert County StormReady Ceremony

StormReady Community Hero Award Ceremony
1:30pm Tuesday December 10, 2002

January 10, 2002, through the efforts of Van Wert County Emergency Manager Rick McCoy, and the support of the Van Wert County Commissioners and the city of Van Wert, Van Wert County, Ohio was in the first group of Ohio counties to be certified as StormReady by the Ohio StormReady Advisory Board. StormReady is a program sponsored by the National Weather Service that helps community leaders improve their hazardous weather operations by improving communication systems and through public education. StormReady communities place NOAA Weather Radios, or other alert devices, in public facilities, and have community-wide public education programs to teach people how to protect themselves at work, school, on the road, or at home.

On November 10, 2002, Van Wert County was hit by a violent F4 tornado. Early tornado warnings from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Syracuse, Indiana, broadcast on NOAA Weather Radio from a transmitter located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, allowed Van Wert Emergency Manager Rick McCoy to activate the warning alert systems located in public locations.

These alerts prompted Van Wert Cinemas assistant manager Scott Shaffer to lead more than 50 patrons of the theater to secure locations, and allowed other citizens of the county to seek shelter. Thanks to the StormReady program many, many lives were saved.

This ceremony was held to honor these heroes.

The National Weather Service presented the first-ever StormReady Community Hero Award to Mr. Rick W. McCoy, Emergency Manager, Van Wert County, Ohio, Mr. Gary D. Adams, Chairman, Van Wert County Commissioners, and in absentia to Mr. Stephan P. Gehres, Mayor of Van Wert, Ohio. Due to health issues, the mayor was unable to attend, so Acting Mayor and the President of the City Council, Tom Strickler, accepted the award on Mayor Gehres' behalf.

Timothy R. E. Keeney, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce was the Keynote Speaker for the ceremony. Dale Shipley, Executive Director of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, and Dennis McCarthy, Director of the National Weather Service’s Central Region, also spoke.

In addition, Scott Shaffer, Assistant Manager of the Van Wert Cinemas, was honored for his life-saving efforts on November 10, 2002.

	Dale Shipley, Executive Director of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency, hands the Emergency Management Association of Ohio Special Award of Merit to Van Wert Cinemas Assistant Manager Scott Shaffer.
	Scott Shaffer accepts the Special Award of Merit from the Emergency Management Association of Ohio as NWS Northern Indiana forecast office Meteorologist in Charge, Mike Sabones, observes the proceedings.
	Local media turned out for the event.
	Northern Indiana NWS forecast office Meteorologist in Charge, Mike Sabones, speaks as (L to R) Russ Decker (President of the Emergency Management Association of Ohio), Dennis McCarthy (Director of National Weather Service Central Region), Dale Shipley, and Timothy R. E. Keeney (Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce) look on.
	Rick W. McCoy, Emergency Management Director for Van Wert County, speaks to the crowd.
	Rick W. McCoy addresses the ceremony's attendees.
	Mike Sabones is at the podium as Rick W. McCoy (third from right), Gary D. Adams (Chairman of the Van Wert County Commissioners, second from right), and Tom Strickler (Acting Mayor and President of the Van Wert City Council, far right, on behalf of Mayor Stephan P. Gehres who was unable to attend) accept the first-ever StormReady Community Hero Award presented by Timothy R. E. Keeney (fourth from right).
	The Van Wert High School Quartet did a remarkable job singing the "Star Spangled Banner".