Public Communications serves as a communications link between the city of Columbia’s municipal government and the citizens. The Public Communications Office coordinates several programs that are designed to link citizens with their city government.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: : Zim Schwartze, OEM Director, or Scott Smith, Public Information Officer - (573) 874-7400

Summer Weather Safety Week

COLUMBIA, MO (June 16, 2010) - The official start of summer is just days away. Over the next three months, the summer season will provide a variety of health and safety dangers for residents across mid-Missouri. The Columbia/Boone County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) reminds everyone to be aware of weather-related dangers this summer and know how to prepare for those dangers. The week of June 20-26 has been designated as “Summer Weather Safety Week” in Missouri by the National Weather Service (NWS).

“Nearly every day of summer brings a weather-related hazard of some type,” said OEM Director Zim Schwartze. “Residents must be prepared for severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, lightning and heat on any given day. We encourage everyone to be ready for whatever summer might bring. The best way to do this is to be aware of weather forecasts and prepare accordingly. Simple precautionary steps can mean the difference between life and death during the summer.”

A series of press releases with summer weather information and safety will be released throughout the ‘Summer Weather Safety Week’.

For more information on how to prepare for dangers posed by severe thunderstorms and lightning, log on to the Office of Emergency Management’s page of the city's website, www.gocolumbiamo.com/EM/. For information concerning heat-related illnesses, refer to the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services page at www.gocolumbiamo.com/Health.

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