Local emergency responders attend storm spotter training class

Local emergency responders and dispatchers attended a storm spotter training class Tuesday night at the Wallace Building in Lebanon. Angelica Soria, a meteorologist with the Springfield office of the National Weather Service, gave the presentation on identifying severe weather and how to report it to the public. Her main theme was communication among all the participating agencies and “how to be safe when you go about spotting.” “You want to develop a network that provides credible reports in near real time,” she said. She said safety was also important. “Warning plus confirmation equals sheltering,” she said. “When we put a warning out, you should shelter. We would love reports obviously, But if it’s getting close, it’s time for you to take shelter. We want you guys to be safe while we’re doing this.” Soria said the purpose of the training is to help develop a network of spotters to provide reports in near real time. Spotters are volunteers who provide reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service. They include emergency managers, law enforcement, firefighters, storm chasers and the general public. “It’s important to have those eyes on the ground telling us what we need to know,” she said. She said this information complements what meteorologists working in the office in Springfield are able to share. For more on this story, see Saturday's LCR.