On March 22, Wayne State participated in the statewide tornado drill conducted by the National Weather Service at 10 a.m.

The purpose of the drill was to ensure that students can adequately receive a tornado watch warning, and to practice any actions that could protect students in the event of a real tornado. The test was sent through all communication channels that are normally used for severe weather alert dissemination, such as campus public address system, text message alerts and city sirens.

“We were on the second floor for my classroom management class learning about teaching methods when we heard the siren go off,” said senior Layne Sullivan. “I sprang into action making sure everyone got down to the Brandenburg faculty lounge on the main floor for safety. When we got there I immediately started swearing because it was so hot in there but sweating is better than dying, I thought to myself.”

In an actual severe weather emergency, the college’s text alert system employs automatic warnings generated by the National Weather Service. These alerts include tornado warnings and warnings associated with tornados spotted in the college’s vicinity.

“I was in the student center working the admissions desk and the faculty in the student center told all the students to head to the tunnels after the sirens went off,” said senior Morgan Parsley. “Jeff Carstens was very in charge and was carrying his big red emergency kit, when we got to the tunnels it was dark and kind of creepy because nobody ever really goes down there. After about five minutes, we got the ‘all clear’ and I had to go back to work.”

Students are encouraged to sign up for the emergency text message system from the college. If you have not already signed up for the college’s text message alert system or if you wish to update your information, you can sign into eCampus and follow the prompts after clicking “campus emergency contact” under the “eCampus Content” heading at the top of the page.

For the safety of all students on the campus, it is vital that everyone participate in campus emergency drills such as this one. To learn more about WSC’s emergency procedures, please visit https://www.wsc.edu/emergency.