Arizona Gov. Ducey Issues Proclamation on Monsoon Awareness Week

PHOENIX, Arizona, June 10 -- Gov. Doug Ducey, R-Arizona, issued the following proclamation on Monsoon Awareness Week:

Governor Doug Ducey proclaimed the week of June 9-14 as Monsoon Awareness Week to highlight the importance of being prepared for Arizona's severe weather and flooding.

The monsoon, which is active mid-June through late September, can present afternoon thunderstorms that produce lightning, high winds and heavy rains. A monsoon thunderstorm can cause hazardous localized flash flooding and dust storms that reduce visibility.

"Monsoon activity may still be a few weeks away, but now is the time to get ready," said Governor Ducey. "During Monsoon Awareness Week, Arizona is taking action to make sure the public is aware of how to prepare and stay safe during these storms."

"Monsoon season can become dangerous with little or no warning," said Wendy Smith-Reeve, Deputy Director of the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA). "It's important for Arizonans to take caution and understand the risks this season presents when traveling throughout the state."

Because monsoon season spans the hottest months of the Arizona summer, it is important to recognize the dangers of extreme heat and the symptoms of heat-related illnesses such as dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and reduce exposure to the sun and heat during peak hours. Learn more about preparing for extreme heat on AzEIN: EIN.az.gov/hazards/extreme-heat.

To learn more about monsoon hazards and safety tips, visit EIN.az.gov/monsoon-awareness.

View a PDF of the proclamation HERE (https://azgovernor.gov/sites/default/files/related-docs/monsoon_awareness_week_2019.pdf).

Text of the proclamation can be viewed below.

WHEREAS, it is vital that all residents be aware of the challenge of living with extreme heat, limited water resources, severe weather, and floods; and

WHEREAS, the extreme summer heat may cause life-threatening conditions among our vulnerable populations, for those who work outside, take part in outdoor activities, or lack refuge from the heat; and

WHEREAS, limited water resources may cause hardships and possible life-threatening conditions for people and livestock in drought-stricken areas; and

WHEREAS, severe storms threaten the safety of people who live and travel in Arizona with damaging high winds, dangerous dust storms, destructive hail, and hazardous lightning; and

WHEREAS, these storms, along with floodwaters that inundate our land, cause property damage, jeopardize our food supply, and threaten the health and safety of the people in our State; and

WHEREAS, dust storms impact the safety of people who travel in Arizona due to near-zero visibility and also expose residents to the effects of hazardous air quality; and

WHEREAS, the Arizona Departments of Emergency and Military Affairs, Agriculture, Homeland Security, Insurance, Public Safety, Transportation, Water Resources, and Environmental Quality have joined with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service and The Salvation Army to recognize the need to provide periodic urban hydration support, and public education on the advantages of being prepared for drought, dust storms, extreme heat, flash flooding, and severe weather in Arizona.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Douglas A. Ducey, Governor of the State of Arizona, do hereby proclaim June 9 - 14, 2019, as

ARIZONA MONSOON AWARENESS WEEK

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Arizona

GOVERNOR

DONE at the Capitol in Phoenix on this twenty-eighth day of May in the year Two Thousand and Nineteen and of the Independence of the United States of America the Two Hundred and Forty-Third.

ATTEST:

SECRETARY OF STATE