within StormReady communities including emergency operations centers, 24-hour warning points, city hall, and all school superintendent offices. In addition to being in homes and offices, NOAA recommends that NOAA Weather Radios also be at the following locations: courthouses, libraries, schools, day care centers, movie theaters, hospitals, senior citizen homes, recreation facilities, sports arenas, public utilities, fairgrounds, and other sites where the general public may gather. The National Weather Service (NWS) SKYWARN storm spotter program trains emergency managers, dispatchers, other first responders such as police officers and firefighters, and the general public on how to stay vigilant by identifying features in clouds that usually preclude the occurrence of severe weather. Trained SKYWARN storm spotters report hazardous weather conditions to their local NWS offices; amateur radio operators are also invited to participate. An advisory board, composed of NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologists and state and local emergency managers, reviews applications from municipalities and visits the locations to verify the steps made in the process to become StormReady. StormReady communities must stay freshly prepared, because the designation is only valid for three years. Funding The National Weather Service does not fund the program in forms other than review and recognition. One of its goals is to help local emergency managers justify costs and purchases related to supporting their hazardous weather-related programs. It does, however, issue a sign that communities may display. Success A tornado struck and destroyed a movie theater in Van Wert County on November 10, 2002, about 28 minutes after a tornado warning was issued. Media coverage of the event emphasized that the theater was screening the film Santa Clause 2 - there were a number of children at the show. The first StormReady Community Hero Award was presented to Van Wert County Emergency Manager Rick McCoy, County Commissioner Gary Adams, and Van Wert City Mayor Stephen Gehres for establishing the county's StormReady program with the NWS. Van Wert Cinemas assistant manager Scott Shaffer was given the NWS Public Service Award for ushering moviegoers to safety after hearing the warning; he had attended a meeting sponsored by local emergency management agencies, and was able to direct the theater patrons to the safest areas within the building. See also 2002 Veterans Day Weekend tornado outbreak Footnotes References Disaster preparedness in the United States