Mission:

The City of Wood Dale Office of Emergency Management’s purpose is to protect its residents, and to build, sustain and improve planning for responses to emergency incidents be it a natural disaster, terrorism, or a man-madedisaster.  Planning includes preparedness by sponsoring exercises to better evaluate current policies and procedures reference:  preparedness, response, and recovery for the community during emergency incidents.      

How do we plan for major weather events?

The planning begins several days ahead of the event by monitoring weather alerts sent through Du Page County Office of Emergency Management, warnings sent through the Illinois Police Departments LEADS (Law Enforcement Agency Data System) which forwards alerts from the National Weather Service to all Illinois Agencies, and finally The Police Departments monitors several different weather sites and their radar services.

All of the Cities Departments hold several meetings prior to the event date and begin to plan for our response.  This would include personnel coverage, equipment and supplies, and sending out a reverse 911phone message to our citizens to advise of the possible severe weather event.  

What can you do to prepare?

Make sure your family has a plan.  You should all agree on a place to meet in case of an emergency, and an alternative location in case you are unable to return to your home.  You should keep extra supplies at home in case you are unable to leave and go to the store.  This would include:  water, food, medicine, batteries or generator in case of a power outage, and don’t forget extra food for your pets.  Below is a link to the Government’s “Ready” website that will assist you in planning, and what you can do to prepare your family, along with other interesting websites.

The police department has modern day advancements to protect it's citizens with regard to severe weather.  Since 2009 the City of Wood Dale has been an accredited StormReady agency through the National Weather Service.  
Below is a short video explaining what it means to be StormReady certified:
 

The Wood Dale Police Department also participates in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Ambassador program.  The Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador™ initiative is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) effort to formally recognize NOAA partners who are improving the nation’s readiness, responsiveness, and overall resilience against extreme weather, water, and climate events. As a WRN Ambassador, partners commit to working with NOAA and other Ambassadors to strengthen national resilience against extreme weather. In effect, the WRN Ambassador initiative helps unify the efforts across government, non-profits, academia, and private industry toward making the nation more ready, responsive, and resilient against extreme environmental hazards. Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) is a strategic outcome where society’s response should be equal to the risk from all extreme weather, water, and climate hazards.