Cotton Co. named a ‘StormReady’ community

The National Weather Service named the county as a StormReady community.(KSWO)
Published: Jun. 1, 2023 at 4:23 PM CDT

WALTERS, Okla. (KSWO) - You can never truly be ready when a weather disaster hits, but you can still prepare.

Preparing is exactly what Cotton County has been doing, and now they’re being recognized for their efforts.

The National Weather Service named the county as a StormReady community.

According to the NWS website, a StormReady community must adhere to several requirements, like having a way to alert the public of a weather emergency, educating the public on those emergencies, and teaching first responders how to respond the emergencies effectively.

Ultimately, the name means exactly what it suggests, the people of Cotton County are ready to respond and react to severe weather.

“It’s great to have the county recognized for the hard work we do and mitigating and preparing the residents of the county for when disaster does strike,” Emergency Manager Lori Hedges said. “It’s not about whether it might happen, it’s just about when it does.”

Hedges said everyone should be weather aware, and sometimes, it can be as simple as signing up for weather notifications when there is a potential for severe storms.