Dillard’s, located on the west side of the Broadway Square Mall, is pictured on April 30, 2018 in Tyler. Melba Mebane recently retired after 74 years working at Dillard’s in Tyler.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has recognized Broadway Square Mall as a StormReady Community.

Broadway Square Mall hosts thousands of shoppers daily, and becomes the third StormReady community in Smith County and the second in the city of Tyler. The mall has transitioned from a StormReady Supporter to a StormReady Community having met additional requirements for this certification.

Charlie Woodrum, Warning Coordination Meteorologist of the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Shreveport, said that due to severe weather in the East Texas area, such safety measures are essential.

“East Texas experiences very active severe weather episodes throughout the year. Due to our geographic location, potentially deadly weather could impact the city of Tyler on any given day,” he said. “In order to prepare for severe weather and keep its shoppers safe, emergency management officials at Broadway Square Mall have partnered with the NWS to meet the criteria required by the StormReady program.”

Senior Meteorologist Jason Hansford presented the mall with a recognition letter and a special StormReady sign during a ceremony at the mall on Tuesday.

The nationwide StormReady community preparedness program uses a grassroots approach to help communities develop plans to handle local severe weather and flooding threats. The program is voluntary and provides communities with advice from their local NWS forecast office as well as state and local emergency managers. StormReady communities are better prepared to save lives from severe weather through planning, education, and awareness. No community is storm proof, but StormReady® can help communities save lives.

To be recognized as StormReady, a community or university must establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center, have more than one way to receive severe weather forecasts and warnings and to alert the public, create a system that monitors local weather conditions, promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars, and develop a formal hazardous weather plan which includes training weather spotters and emergency exercises, according to the NWS.

Hansford said Broadway Square Mall will be the 15th mall in the nation to have received StormReady status.

“Today, there are nearly 3,300 StormReady communities. Broadway Square Mall joins the ranks of 14 other malls across the nation that have achieved StormReady status, and the fourth mall in the state of Texas,” he said. “The program is designed to help StormReady communities improve communication and safety skills needed to save lives — before, during, and after a severe weather event. The establishment of StormReady communities are vital to preparedness efforts as severe thunderstorms can affect East Texas at any time of day or night at any time throughout the year.”

The StormReady recognition will expire in four years, before which the mall will go through a renewal process.

The ceremony will take place on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. in the Mall Management Office. Broadway Square Mall is located at 4601 South Broadway Avenue.