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StormReady

What is StormReady®?

StormReady® is a designation available to cities, counties, and universities-basically any geographic group of people that constitute a "community". By becoming a StormReady® University, Vanderbilt has shown a commitment to save lives during severe weather events, educate our community about severe weather, and improve coordination and timeliness of hazardous weather warning reception and dissemination

What did Vanderbilt do to become StormReady®?

To be certified as a StormReady Community, Vanderbilt had to meet or exceed the following requirements:

  • Establish a 24-hour warning point (Vanderbilt Police Dispatch monitors weather and activates the Severe Weather Warning System when needed)
  • Establish an Emergency Operations Center (The Vanderbilt University Emergency Operations Center is located in the Vanderbilt University Police Department and provides personnel with several tools to communicate and track weather)
  • Have at least 4 ways to receive NWS alerts (Vanderbilt receives weather information from weather radios, NWS chat, smartphone applications, local media, and through contracts with commercial weather companies)
  • Have at least 2 ways to monitor hydrometerological data (Vanderbilt has contracts with commercial weather companies that give us the latest radar data and hazardous weather alerts)
  • Have at least 2 ways to disseminate warnings (Vanderbilt uses AlertVU, our own siren network, and internet/social media communication to notify the Vanderbilt community
  • Give at least 2 weather talks annually (Vanderbilt has a degreed Meteorologist on staff that gives weather talks to different departments on campus-feel free to contact us if you would like a talk with your department)
  • Train spotters and dispatchers biennially
  • Have a formal hazardous weather operations plan (The campus emergency guidebook is located here. It includes formal response plans for several different types of emergencies.)
  • Have biennial visits to the Nashville NWS office by the Vanderbilt Director of Emergency Preparedness
  • Have annual visits by a National Weather Service official to the campus

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How many communities are designated as StormReady®?
  • There are more than 2,400 StormReady® communities in 49 states Puerto Rico, and Guam
  • There are 77 StormReady® sites in Tennessee-including 9 universities

 

  • How long is a StormReady® recognition good for?
  • StormReady® recognition is granted for 3 years, at the end of which Vanderbilt must re-submit an application to show that we are in compliance with the latest guidelines.

 

  • Does being StormReady® mean that Vanderbilt is "Storm-Proof"?
  • No community can be "Storm-Proof", but StormReady® communities are better prepared to save lives from severe weather through better planning, education and awareness.

 

 StormReady