Friendship Churches to Host
National SKYWARN Weather Seminar
FRIENDSHIP, NY - With the
recent bitter cold, flooding possibilities, and a variety of other weather
encounters already this year, a group of Friendship churches is hosting a
National Weather Service (NWS) SKYWARN observer workshop next month to help
area residents better understand and respond effectively to potentials for
severe weather occurrences and to aid federal forecasters in receiving reports
about local adverse conditions .
The
What God is Doing in Friendship, NY alliance of churches is providing the free
public safety education opportunity from 6:30PM to 8:30PM Tuesday, April 1, at
the Bible Baptist Church at 43 West Main Street, including the opportunity to
receive a free SKYWARN weather spotter certification.
The
event follows a National Guard Citizen Preparedness Corps Training last
February, hosted by participating alliance churches and attended by nearly 100
area residents at Friendship and another 60 at a second session held at
Houghton Academy.
Bible
Baptist Church Pastor Duane Broadwell said both efforts were developed to help
area residents become more aware of adverse weather potentials and how to
respond to them as part of the NWS Weather-Ready Nation initiative.
He
noted that the churches alliance made available The Mission House, site of the
former St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, offices and rectory on East Main Street
this winter, as a warming center during several periods of sub-zero
temperatures.
Pastor
Kevin Palmiter of Followers of the Way - Nile Community Church, which also is
an alliance participant, said that churches, working together, often are
natural responders in times of crisis, with many members of the public looking
to such institutions for assistance.
He
said he has received calls from area residents at different times during severe
weather situations, including extended power outages, seeking information about
available assistance resources.
The
alliance has been discussing how to expand its current capacity on a
cooperative basis to assist area residents and emergency services responses.
The
SKYWARN system provides training for individuals, including teens, who have an
interest in weather alert situations, with completion of the single-session
course resulting in a
certificate as an NWS SKYWARN weather spotter.
Forecasters note
that despite having multiple devices for detecting weather information,
on-the-ground reporting from trained spotters in different geographic areas
help to verify electronic analysis and fulfill the agency's mission of
protecting life and property.
Attendees of the
training are instructed about the types of severe weather the NWS is interested
in hearing about and are given an 800 telephone number for 24-hour access to
making reports directly to
government weather forecasters.
Pastor Broadwell
said that participating alliance churches “feel fortunate in being able to
secure this training” in that the Buffalo forecast office only provides a few
of these events in the spring and fall of each year in communities within its
16-county forecast area which extends from the Pennsylvania border of Western
New York, including Allegany, northeast to the Watertown area.
The training
effort is being coordinated with Allegany Hope Community News, a Weather-Ready
Nation ambassador and online area news and weather information resource which
provides consolidated reports of weather information from forecast offices at
Buffalo for Western New York counties, including Allegany, Binghamton for the
City of Hornell and Steuben County east, and State College, Pa., for Northern
Pennsylvania, including adjoining McKean and Potter counties.
In addition to
the general public, the workshop also will be beneficial for emergency services
and agencies personnel in helping alert the public to potentially
life-threatening weather situations.
Registration
is required for the free activity, with online reservations available at
https://tinyurl.com/NWS-SKYWARN, or by contacting WhatGodisDoing@outlook.com or
(585) 664-9989 with attendee names, communities of residence, email addresses
and telephone numbers, including area codes.
Early
registration is encouraged due to limited seating.
