Casper/Natrona County International Airport Redesignated StormReady by NWS

Casper/Natrona County International Airport announced that the National Weather Service has re-designated the Airport as StormReady. The Airport was first designated in 2009 when only three airports in the United States had such a distinction, and has been re-designated every three years since. As of Jan. 6, the National Weather Service has designated 2,562 StormReady or TsunamiReady sites, with 15 of them located in Wyoming.

The National Weather Service started the StormReady program to help emergency managers ensure their communities are ready when a crisis occurs.

“We elected to go through the process back in 2009 not for the designation itself, but for the planning and preparation required,” said Glenn Januska, airport director. “With passengers in and out of the facility, many who are not from Wyoming, all of the businesses and employees at the Airport, the housing areas, and all of the aircraft, assets, etc., the better we are prepared, the better off we all are.”

"Airport leaders and emergency service staff are to be commended for recognizing the need to better protect visitors to their facility," said Tim Troutman, warning coordination meteorologist at the Riverton National Weather Service office. "An improved hazardous weather plan and enhanced communications are in place as a result of the Airport staff seeking StormReady status."