Oneida Baptist Institute, a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador, creates Emergency Preparedness and Response Team

Oneida Baptist Institute (OBI) has been recognized as a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador by the National Weather Service. The Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador™ initiative is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) effort to formally recognize NOAA partners who are improving the nation’s readiness, responsiveness, and overall resilience against extreme weather, water, and climate events.

The National Weather Service Office in Jackson, KY has worked closely with Oneida Baptist Institute for many years due to the impact flooding from the South Fork of the Kentucky River has on the school's campus and the surrounding community of Oneida, located in northern Clay County. OBI has been a NWS Cooperative Weather Observer for many years, reporting temperature, rainfall, snowfall and river level information every day. During times of high water on the South Fork of the Kentucky, OBI staff make frequent measurements of the river levels assisting National Weather Service flood warning operations.

The school has also taken a hands-on approach to preparing it's students for emergencies by starting the Oneida Baptist Institute Emergency Preparedness and Response Team. The team's purpose will be to serve as an educational resource for the school and local community, offer help and support for weather related events and partner with the Red Cross to serve as volunteer Emergency Response team members. Team leader and OBI science teacher Chuck Mullenix incorporates educational materials from the NOAA/NASA SciJinks program and the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) into the program. Several team members were also trained to be Junior Weather Spotters for the National Weather Service in a class taught by NWS Jackson Warning Coordination Meteorologist Tony Edwards.


Pictures from Junior Weather Spotter Class presented to OBI Emergency Preparedness and Response Team.

The National Weather Service in Jackson, KY would like to thank Chuck Mullenix, members of the Oneida Baptist Institute Emergency Preparedness and Response Team, and the entire staff of Oneida Baptist Institute for being a great ambassador for a Weather-Ready Nation!

Any organization across all levels of government, businesses large and small, non-profit and non-governmental organizations, and academia can become a Weather Ready Nation Ambassador. The WRN Ambassador initiative is intended for organizations and designed to help serve the public by strengthening our national resilience against extreme weather events. To find out more, go to http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation/ambassadors.html.