Galveston County receives 'storm ready' certification

Galveston is one of three counties in our area with that certification

GALVESTON, Texas – Galveston County is officially certified as "storm ready."

The National Weather Service presented the county with the certification Tuesday during a ceremony at the 1900 Storm monument on the seawall.

"Our No. 1 priority is early evacuation. It's always life safety and get folks out of harm's way," said emergency management coordinator David Popoff.

Every school in the county now has a severe weather alert radio and the county has six different warning systems for mass notification.

Gene Hafele with the National Weather Service told Local 2, "Most of the requirements have to do with communication, their communication into our office, our communication out and their communication into the community."

Judge Mark Henry Galveston County said, "You've got a really experienced staff and administration here, so when we put out a word to evacuate, it's with all the possible information and data and you need to heed that warning to evacuate."

Polk and Fort Bend counties are the only other counties in our area that are "storm ready" certified.