Lumberport Elementary School (Harrison County) becomes 2nd School in West Virginia to Earn StormReady Supporter School Designation

Lumberport Elementary School of Harrison County has become only the second school in the state of West Virginia to complete the StormReady Supporter School program. The school was recognized with the distinction at the June 5, 2018 Harrison County Board of Education meeting.

Pictured (left to right): Dr. Mark Manchin, Superintendent Harrison County Schools; Bryan Schuerman, Lincoln Middle School Science Teacher; Tony Edwards, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, NWS Charleston, WV; Ken Winkie, Director of Safety and Discipline Harrison County Schools.

“A StormReady Supporter School is a safer school when it comes to severe weather,” said Tony Edwards, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Charleston, WV. “Lumberport Elementary has made weather safety a priority and should be commended for their efforts to keep students, faculty and staff safe from severe weather.”

Tornado Drill at Lumberport Elementary School

A StormReady Supporter School must have a comprehensive Hazardous Weather Safety Plan in place, identify appropriate sheltering locations for all students, ensure sufficient notification of weather warnings and conduct tornado drills regularly.

As a final check of the school's plan, school officials and officials from the National Weather Service observed a Tornado Drill at the school (pictured at left) on May 30.

Bryan Schuerman, Science Teacher at Lincoln Middle School, developed the StormReady Supporter School program for Harrison County and was integral in the school earning the designation. "In a state that has seen such extreme weather such as flash flooding disasters like the one in 2016 and devastating severe weather such as tornadoes like the 1944 Shinnston Tornado, the lessons that we are teaching our students in the classroom can also be taken home, and that includes critical life skills such as severe weather safety," Bryan said. "What we do with our students and staff can also be applied at home supporting the vision of the National Weather Service as being a WeatherReady Nation." Bryan's home school Lincoln Middle School was the first school in the state to earn the designation.

Harrison County is working toward making all schools in the county StormReady. To assist with this initiative, the National Weather Service presented twelve NOAA Weather Radios to Harrison County Schools during the Board of Education meeting. These radios will be placed in schools throughout the county where functioning weather radios do not already exist. The radios were made available via the Public Alert Radios for Schools initiative.

StormReady, a program started in 1999 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, helps arm American's communities with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property, before and during a severe weather event. No community is storm proof, but StormReady can help communities save lives.

To learn more about the StormReady program please visit www.weather.gov/StormReady .