Severe Weather
________________________________________
Document Number: EMER--110p
Revision #: 2.0
Document Owner: Vice President of Facilities and Infrastructure
Date Last Updated: 01/23/2018
Primary Author: Vice President of Facilities and Infrastructure
Status: Approved
Date Originally Created: 02/13/2012
________________________________________
General Description
Description / Scope: Information about tornado and flood procedures relative to emergency services policies and procedures.
Purpose: Delineation of procedures.
Who Performs / Responsibility: All faculty, staff, students, and administrators
When to Perform: As needed
________________________________________
Requirements
Pre-Knowledge: Before performing this task you must know:
Current University policy
Standards of good practice
Terms and Definitions: Additional training
Corrective Action
Equipment: Policy and Procedure Handbook
________________________________________
Detailed Steps
1. Tornado Procedures
How to Do:
Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms are often a threat in Middle Tennessee. Cumberland University makes an effort to provide information so all employees and students can be ready in the event of a tornado alert. Please review these guidelines regularly during the tornado season.
The city of Lebanon and Cumberland University are prepared to warn the populace of impending adverse weather conditions. The city of Lebanon has several strategically positioned sirens which will be sounded if atmospheric conditions indicate concern. The siren can be heard clearly outdoors on the Cumberland University’s campus.
If you are outside and you hear the warning siren, IMMEDIATELY seek inside shelter, preferable in a steel framed or concrete building or in a building that appears to be sturdily constructed. Once inside a building, stay away from all windows and move to the lowest floor. The safest area in each building has been marked with a tornado sign.
If you are inside a building, the safest area in each campus building has been marked with a yellow tornado sign. Additionally, each building has yellow tornado signs posted to guide people to the safest area. When moving to the safe area of a building, the following guidelines should be followed:
1. Avoid going near auditoriums, gymnasiums, or other such large rooms where roof collapse may be likely.
2. Stay away from glass windows and exterior doors at all times.
3. Move to the designated tornado safety area in an orderly fashion and use northeast stairways if available, since tornadoes generally follow a southwest to northwest path.
4. Doors to all rooms should be kept closed.
5. If time does not permit moving to the designated tornado safety area, sit on the floor under furniture, or near an inside wall.
6. If caught outside, seek shelter in a low lying area laying face down.
1.1 Tornado Watch Guidelines
How to Do:
A tornado watch means that conditions are favorable for tornadoes to form. While the university is under a tornado watch, all university employees and students should pay close attention to changing weather conditions and remain alert to further weather warnings.
1. The Vice President of Facilities and Infrastructure or his designee will monitor the weather- alert radio on days when a tornado is deemed likely to occur.
2. In the event that the Vice President of Facilities and Infrastructure learns of a tornado watch, he will activate the CU Alerts System. CU Alerts is a campus-wide emergency notification system which allows Cumberland University students, faculty and staff to receive emergency alerts via cell phone text messages. CU Alerts are issued only in the event of an actual emergency, and the system is not used for non-emergency communications.
3. To sign up for CU Alerts, use your cell phone text messaging feature. Create a new message with the word CUALERTS and send it to 41411. The alert system will send a confirmation message back to you. Note that you only have to sign up for CU Alerts once; there is no need to sign up for this system each academic year.
1.2 Tornado Warning Guidelines
How to Do:
A tornado warning is issued when a tornado has been sighted either visually or by radar. The warning is issued for a particular area and immediate action is required. A tornado generally moves at 20 to 60 miles per hour forward speed so warning time is critical.
1. A tornado warning alert is provided by sirens located in downtown Lebanon. This signal is presumed to be a tornado warning unless informed by an official to the contrary. Note that this signal is only audible outdoors.
2. The Vice President of Facilities and Infrastructure or his designee will monitor the weather- alert radio on days when a tornado is deemed likely to occur.
3. In the event that the Vice President of Facilities and Infrastructure learns of a tornado warning, he will activate the CU Alerts System.
4. In the event that the Vice President of Facilities and Infrastructure learns of a tornado warning, he will also notify Building Runners to alert people in the building to move to the designated tornado shelter area within that building
5. All persons should be encouraged to remain inside a safe area until the warning is canceled.
1.3 After a Tornado
How to Do:
In the event of casualties, give first aid to the best of your ability and notify authorities as soon as possible at 911. Be sure to give your name and exact location on campus.
2. Flood Emergency Guidelines and Procedures
How to Do:
The campus area is prone to occasional flooding on the east and west ends of the campus infrequently, but especially during a massive rainfall. Flooding of these areas may result in the declaration of a flood emergency. Flood emergencies can result in the partial or full evacuation of residence halls or classrooms, including student and staff parking lots.
During potential flooding conditions, Campus Safety and Security staff monitors all reports of flooding through consultation with the WEMA, TEMA and other local and state emergency response agencies. If conditions or reports warrant, a flood emergency will be declared and students, faculty and staff will be directed to move vehicles and/or evacuate parts of the campus.
All efforts to communicate the evacuations in a timely manner will be made. However, in the event of sudden flooding, such as during a flash flood, notification may not allow for much, if any time, to move vehicles or personal belongings. When instructed to move a vehicle or evacuate a building or area, do so immediately.
The decision to implement evacuations will be based upon campus needs, with the overall goal to be the preservation of life, and then property. As with any campus emergency, the administration will do all it can to inform and update students, faculty and staff. During emergencies, do your best to monitor all campus communications.
________________________________________
Subject Experts
The following may be consulted for additional information.
Vice President of Facilities and Infrastructure