On November 1, 2000, the National Weather service designated Cambria County as a Storm Ready County. Cambria County is one of the first four counties in the state to receive this recognition by the National Weather Service. Besides Cambria County, the other counties that have received this award are Lehigh, Lycoming, and Bradford.

Cambria County had to meet a list of criteria in order to meet this designation. The designation means that the county has the ability to receive storm warning information from multiple sources and to be able to disseminate this information to the public in a timely manner.

With the past history of major weather events that the county has experienced, namely the Johnstown Floods and several other recent weather events, the County Commissioners felt that it was important for the Cambria County Department of Emergency Services to make every effort to become storm ready county. Primary emphasis is placed on weather events such as flash flooding and tornado warnings.

It is the hope of the County Commissioners that this designation will translate into a safer community for the citizens of Cambria County. In addition, there may be a potential cost savings with property insurance.

If anybody has any questions about this program or would like to learn more about this designation you can contact our office at 800-281-1680 or 814-472-2050. The National Weather Service also has a web page that explains this information.