NOAA's Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador Initiative

NOAA's Weather-Ready Nation is a strategic outcome aiming to get a “societal response equal to risk” to extreme weather, water, and climate events. Understanding government cannot achieve success in this endeavor acting alone, NOAA launched in early 2014 its Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) Ambassador initiative to formally recognize the contributions from other organizations in helping build a nation that is ready, responsive, and resilient to extreme events. WRN Ambassadors are redefining how the “Weather Enterprise” is defined, bringing together organizations across government at all scales, businesses big and small, school districts and universities, media giants and local broadcast stations. Committed to collaborating with NOAA, WRN Ambassadors help promote preparedness and the value of weather information to their stakeholders, engage their own employees on weather safety, and highlight successes of “action being taken” to achieve this strategic outcome.

Benefits for NOAA and WRN Ambassadors will be highlighted, with testimonials from WRN Ambassadors on how they have contributed. Remaining challenges and how the initiative can grow in its second year will also be discussed.