Wayne State College will participate in the statewide tornado drill that is being conducted by the National Weather Service as a part of Nebraska Severe Weather Awareness Week, on Wednesday, March 26 at 10 a.m.
According to the National Weather Service, the purpose of this drill is to ensure that all Nebraskans are able to receive tornado watch and warning alerts. The drill also allows citizens to practice actions that could be necessary in the event of an actual tornado.
The City of Wayne also uses this drill as a way to make sure that all emergency equipment functions properly before the upcoming tornado season.
During the drill, outdoor sirens will sound a three-minute-long blast in Wayne. There will be mass notifications sent out to citizens in Wayne, along with social media posts during the drill.
Jay Collier, the Director of College Relations at WSC, said this test alert will be sent through every communication channel the college uses for severe weather alerts. These include the campus public address system, text alerts and the city sirens.
“The drill also serves as a reminder to make sure you are signed up for the college’s emergency alert system,” Collier said. The Rave mobile safety application can be found on the Wayne State College website where you can sign up for the text message alert system.
According to the National Weather Service, you should familiarize yourself with the terms ‘tornado watch’ and ‘tornado warning’ before a tornado warning occurs in your area.
A tornado watch means that tornadoes are possible, so stay alert for approaching storms while listening to a commercial radio for more information about the storm.
If there is a tornado warning, that means a tornado has been sighted by trained weather spotters or by weather radar. In this case, take shelter immediately.
When taking shelter, move to a room at the innermost part of a building. Keep yourself away from windows and doors, and crouch near the floor while covering your head from falling objects.
“Severe weather, such as a tornado, is the most likely emergency event to occur on campus,” Collier said, “All college employees and students should familiarize themselves with the emergency procedures associated with severe weather.”
If an emergency were to occur, no single alert system would be enough to inform all members on campus of the situation. This is one of the reasons why Wayne State College uses more than one emergency alert system in the case of severe weather.
