PROVIDENCE — On May 21, the National Weather Service will honor the city for being a Stormready community, an award that recognizes the steps that cities have taken to promote community awareness and minimize the loss of life and property from extreme weather.

The award will be given during a statewide hurricane conference at the Radisson Hotel, which will be sponsored by the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency.

To qualify as a Stormready community, cities and towns must meet specific standards established by the National Weather Service, including establishing an emergency operations center, a citywide communications network and a public education program to promote the importance of community preparedness. The goal, according to the NWS, is to ensure that communities are better prepared to save lives during severe storms through better planning, education and awareness.

“I’m very proud of this agency because we are the only capitol city in New England to earn this distinction,” said Leo Messier, director of the Providence Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security. “Todd Manni, our homeland security liaison, worked closely with the National Weather Service to obtain this award.”

Mayor David N. Cicilline said that, “As we approach hurricane season, this designation by the NWS confirms that the Providence Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security is on the right track to ensuring that our city’s first-responders are prepared to protect our residents in the event of a natural disaster.”

According to Messier, the city has gone well beyond national standards to prepare for emergencies.

Those efforts include the city’s volunteer shelters, the medical management response system and the pharmaceutical distribution network.

His office has also created the Prepare Providence program, an annual public awareness event that brings life-saving information to residents, numerous emergency preparedness drills and strong partnerships between state and local agencies.

Messier’s department has also hosted a severe weather spotters training program to teach citizens to help the National Weather Service monitor local weather conditions; partnered with The Weather Channel to deliver important emergency information to residents; taught students about the dangers of severe weather and how to prepare for it; and installed weather alert radios in schools and at the Providence Place mall.

lborg@projo.com