Palatine receives StormReady certification

The village of Palatine recently received StormReady certification, a voluntary program that helps communities better prepare for and mitigate effects of extreme weather-related events. Mayor Jim Schwantz and Palatine Emergency Management Agency Coordinator Tom Smith accepted the certification from Jim Allsopp, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service. Standards for certification include providing advance warning to residents and staff, training weather spotters capable of providing the NWS information during storms, providing weather spotter training to the public, creating specific plans for sheltering in place during severe weather and providing special weather radios to schools and other locations where large number of people gather. For more information, visit palatine-ema.org.