National Weather Service certifies Cameron County as first countywide StormReady community in Rio Grande Valley

The National Weather Service recognized Cameron County as a StormReady community during the commissioners’ Oct. 7 meeting, saying the county met the program’s preparedness criteria and is the first countywide StormReady community certified in the Rio Grande Valley.

Barry Goldsmith, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service Brownsville office, reviewed the program’s main elements: a 24‑hour warning point and emergency operations center; multiple public alerting and monitoring methods; local weather monitoring systems; public readiness education and spotter training; and a formal hazardous weather plan with exercises. “Cameron County is the first county wide StormReady community that we certified in the Rio Grande Valley,” Goldsmith said.

Tom, the county emergency management official, credited expanded resources and more regular inter‑jurisdictional coordination with helping secure the designation. County Judge Trevino said he prioritized additional resources to emergency management after taking office and cited the county’s monthly hurricane‑season coordination calls and neighbor‑ing city collaboration as key factors.

The National Weather Service offered the county a StormReady sign that can be displayed at sites across the county; the certification lasts four years and is expected to be straightforward to renew, the meteorologist said. County staff also noted related outreach: the county said it has distributed more than 500 smoke detectors in the region and planned another distribution of 250 detectors in Harlingen on Nov. 8.

The presentation was made as a formal recognition to the court; no vote was required.