With Severe Weather Awareness Week highlighting the upcoming weather season, local emergency management agencies play an important role. 

Dallas County Emergency Management Coordinator A.J. Seely says the agency focuses on many aspects of severe weather including making sure people are prepared and educated throughout the year to handle threats along with daily operations. 

“What we do from our perspective, on a daily basis, is we monitor for threats and so weather is one of those. It actually is one of the most significant threats to Dallas County. It’s one that we see every single year.”

Seely tells Raccoon Valley Radio that upon issuance of a watch or a warning, corresponding action can escalate depending on the weather threat. With this Seely says it helps to better coordinate plans in the county. 

“Based on what type of warning it is or what weather we are about to see we’ll change what policies we put into place and what procedures we follow to make sure that we’re having a coordinated approach county-wide and also that information is shared from our field spotters to the weather service and out ultimately to the public.”

Severe Weather Awareness Week is March 22nd through 26th.