Dallas Center continues to be prepared for severe weather after recently completing the renewal of their StormReady status.

City officials completed a set of rigorous criteria necessary to earn the distinction from the National Weather Service.

The voluntary program gives communities and universities advice on how to work with weather service forecast offices and local emergency managers to prepare for storms.

In order to be recognized as StormReady, they were required to establish a 24 hour warning point and emergency operations center, have more than one way to receive weather information and alert the public, create a system that monitors local weather conditions, promote the importance of public readiness and develop a formal hazardous weather plan which includes both training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.

Dallas Center first received the distinction in 2008.