Whereas, it is imperative to have an effective system for alerting and notifying New Yorkers of potentially adverse weather conditions that may present hazards to life and property; the emergency management and public safety community in New York State continues to reliably mount a quick response when the forces of nature have threatened to disrupt daily lives and business; and

Whereas, the series of severe storms that hit New York State last summer caused significant debris, wind and water damage to public and private facilities, left thousands of people without electric power, set off mudslides that closed major roadways and damaged streets, bridges, dams and other infrastructure, seriously impacting communities – and in each instance, the State’s response was swift and effective in helping people during a time of great need; and

Whereas, such an efficient response rate has saved untold lives and protected millions of dollars in property, and is the result of years of planning and training by State, federal and local agencies, voluntary organizations and the private sector; a vital member of that partnership is the National Weather Service, which continues to improve its capability to track weather and give advance warning of impending severe weather to communities in this State and beyond; and

Whereas, each individual and all member organizations of this critically-important partnership are encouraged to continue training emergency response teams, to exercise plans and to participate in drills – including the 17th annual New York State Hazardous Weather communication drills – in an effort to raise the levels of preparedness and responsiveness to extremely dangerous weather conditions, as doing so will help to ensure the well-being of our citizens and preserve the safety of communities across our great State;

Now, Therefore, I, George E. Pataki, Governor of the State of New York, do hereby proclaim March 13-19, 2005 as

in the Empire State.