SKYWARN TRAINING IN LEE COUNTY Americans live in the most severe weather-prone country on Earth. Each year, Americans cope with an average of 10,000 thunderstorms, 2,500 floods, 1,000 tornadoes, as well as an average of 6 deadly hurricanes. Some 90% of all presidentially declared disasters are weather related, leading to around 500 deaths per year and nearly $14 billion in damage. What can you do to help protect yourself, your family, and neighbors? Consider becoming a trained SKYWARN Spotter. A trained spotter knows the weather threats in Florida, safety rules, and visual clues regarding thunderstorm strength. You can attend the training even if you do not want to be an official spotter. SKYWARN is a program sponsored by your National Weather Service (NWS) consisting of trained weather spotters who provide reports of severe and hazardous weather to help in the warning process. SKYWARN spotter reports provide vital "ground truth" to the NWS. The reports serve the NWS mission of protecting life and property in 3 ways: assist in present and future warning decisions, confirm hazardous weather detected by NWS radar, and provide verification information which can be used for future research efforts. SKYWARN is a volunteer public service for those 18 years or older. Individuals under 18 may attend the training; however they will not receive a Storm Spotter number. A certificate of Attendance will be given to them. Each year our Spotters donate their time and efforts to help the NWS issue severe weather warnings. A NOAA Weather radio will also be raffled off for each class! SKYWARN TRAINING on Captiva Island (location to be determined) Date/Time Type Instructor February 8, 2010 – 10:00 AM Basic Daniel Noah February 8, 2010 – 11:00 AM Advanced Daniel Noah SKYWARN TRAINING at the Lee County Emergency Operations Center February 8, 2010 – 3:00 PM Basic Daniel Noah February 8, 2010 – 4:00 PM Advanced Daniel Noah SKYWARN TRAINING, Cape Coral EOC, 1115 SE 9th Ave., Cape Coral, FL Date/Time Type Instructor March 2, 2010 – 10:00 AM Basic Daniel Noah March 2, 2010 – 11:00 AM Advanced Daniel Noah SKYWARN TRAINING at the Lee County Emergency Operations Center March 2, 2010 – 3:00 PM Basic Daniel Noah March 2, 2010 – 4:00 PM Advanced Daniel Noah The Lee County Emergency Operations Center, is at 2665 Ortiz Ave., Fort Myers, Florida 33905. Please arrive a few minutes early. Please call our office and pre-register for this valuable free training for any of the above classes at (239) 533-3622. Please Ask for Pam Teeter! .