Atchison County 911/Emergency Management Agency (911/EMA) recently received word from the National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill that the county’s storm ready certification had been completed and awarded for the sixth consecutive time. In the state of Missouri, 42 counties and 47 communities have been recognized by the NWS as being storm ready. Atchison County, after completing a lengthy application process, was one of Missouri’s first recipients of this designation in 2007.

To be considered a storm ready community, the agency must show that they have multiple ways to receive severe weather information from the NWS, as well as having the capability to pass that information on to the public and the local first responders. The county is also required to maintain an up-to-date emergency operations plan with a specific severe weather section outlining the steps to take during a severe weather event, as well as completing a site-visit by the NWS to the local facility to demonstrate their proficiency in the alert and warning system.

Alert and notifications to the public and local first responders are made through the Everbridge system. Through this software, the public can sign up and receive alerts through text messages, phone calls, and/or email. Everbridge also has a mobile app that will alert you to dangerous conditions outside of your area when traveling. To sign up for alerts, visit https://shorturl.at/9p1Ui or through the Atchison County EM/911’s Facebook page at http://facebook.com/ac911 and click on the link there.

If you need assistance signing up for Atchison County’s alerts and notifications, call the 911 office at 660-744-6606. If they are busy on a call, they will call you back.

The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) can also be utilized to send emergency notifications to the public through Everbridge. Amber Alerts and other emergency notifications are sent out through IPAWS to a specific geographic area so that people who may be traveling through an area can be notified that an emergency exists in their area.

Atchison County is also an ambassador to the Weather Ready Nation (WRN). The goal of the WRN Ambassador initiative is to foster innovative, stronger collaborations across government, non-profits, academia, and private industry to help make the nation more ready, responsive, and resilient against extreme environmental hazards. As a WRN Ambassador, organizations commit to working with NOAA and other ambassadors to strengthen national resilience against extreme weather. The effort is a force-multiplier for NWS; sharing messages with the ambassadors reaches many times more people than the NWS can alone, including vulnerable populations in their communities. WRN Ambassadors serve as change agents and leaders in their communities. They inspire others to be better informed and prepared, helping to minimize or even avoid the impacts of these natural disasters.

Missouri Severe Weather Preparedness Week

Missouri’s 2026 statewide tornado drill will be held on Wednesday, March 4. This is an opportunity for Missourians to practice their sheltering plans and ensure readiness in case of a severe weather emergency while at home, work or school.

Sirens will be sounded at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 4, and notifications will be sent out through Everbridge.