UT Dallas recently joined the ranks of colleges and universities that the National Weather Service deems “storm-ready.”

The StormReady program measures preparedness in several categories, all of which UT Dallas surpassed to receive the designation.

“It shows the level of preparedness we have here at UT Dallas,” said Emergency Management Director Calvin Brown. “It also shows how serious we are when it comes to the safety of our students, faculty and staff.”

To achieve StormReady status, a university must:

  • Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center.
  • Have multiple means of receiving severe weather warnings and forecasts to alert the public.
  • Create a system that monitors weather conditions locally.
  • Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars.
  • Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe-weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.

UT Dallas was the first UT System school to receive the designation, said Mark Fox, warning coordination meteorologist of the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office.

StormReady, a program started in 1999 in Tulsa, Okla., is designed to arm communities with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property in the event of a natural disaster.

As a result of its achievement, UT Dallas will receive StormReady signs for display along roadways as well as a listing on the national website showing official StormReady sites.