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® Site, Vanderbilt University Medical Center 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 University Medical Center do to become StormReady®?
To be certified as a StormReady Community, Vanderbilt University Medical Center had to meet or exceed the following requirements:
- Establish a 24-hour warning point (Vanderbilt Lifeflight Communications and Delta operations monitors the weather and activates the Severe Weather Warning System when needed)
- Establish an Emergency Operations Center (The Vanderbilt University Medical Center Emergency Operations Center is located in Langford 1008 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 University Medical Center 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 University Medical Center uses the mass notification system to notify the Medical Center community)
- Train spotters and dispatchers biennially
- Have a formal hazardous weather operations plan
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many communities are designated as StormReady®?
- There are 3,078 StormReady® sites in 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Pacific Islands
- There are 82 StormReady® sites in Tennessee
- 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 University Medical Center 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.
