Opry Mills Mall is certified ‘Storm Ready’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — On Dec. 9, 2023, a tornado came within four and three-quarters of a mile of Opry Mills Mall. It was a Saturday and the mall was packed with holiday shoppers.

So can you imagine if the tornado had struck there? If it had, it’s good to know that Opry Mills Mall is designated “Storm ready” by the National Weather Service. That means they have a plan in place should severe weather strike.

Ryan Husted the Warning Coordinating Meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Nashville explained what that means:

“So, a Storm Ready community can be a trusted source, because we’ve actually gone there to do an inspection to make sure that all the things they checked on their application are in place and working,” Husted remarked.

First, they must show that they have multiple ways to receive weather warnings. Remember, power can go out and cell phone towers can fail during a tornado. Then that information and what action people need to take must communicated to the shoppers and the employees via multiple means.

“Messages go out on the public announcement system,” Husted explained. “It also goes to the individual businesses within the mall. And from there, their employees help usher people into shelters.  And those are probably marked with some sort of signage. Your most secure locations are going to be the bathrooms. But anywhere that is an interior room with no outside walls and no windows, those are going to be your best places.”

So, if you are in one of those designated locations, the odds are very high that you would survive most tornadoes. So, being in a storm-ready facility can really make a difference.

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