Tornado

NOTE: The type, severity, reactions, and impact of an incident are not always the same. The information provided below is some suggested actions to take. This may or may not be everything you should or should not do as your actions may vary depending on the incident. Read the "Tornadoes are Serial Killers" brochure for more information. You may print and post it where others may read it.

Up-to-date directions and information will be available at emergency.olemiss.edu. This is the authoritative and official source for information during dangerous weather situations.

The official warning signal to indicate Tornado Warnings are the strategically placed sirens that can be heard throughout the campus.

Tornado Watch

Before

  • A tornado watch means that weather conditions are favorable for the formation of a tornado.
  • Stay alert for changing weather conditions and be prepared to take action .
  • Be alert to changes in local weather.

Beginning or During

  • Move inside a building.
  • Check local weather for updates (using weather radio, Web, or TV).
  • Plan for what you will do if a Warning is issued.
  • Plan for what you will do if you are in a class when a Warning is issued.
  • Make sure you have a way of knowing when a warning is issued.
  • Listen for Sirens, which indicate a warning.
  • Visit the UM Emergency Website.
  • Stay away from windows.
  • Stay calm.

Tornado Warning

Before

  • A tornado warning means that a tornado has actually been sighted by spotters or indicated on radar and is occurring or imminent in the warning area.
  • UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU BE OUTSIDE DURING A TORNADO WARNING.
  • Building personnel should listen for the emergency sirens. Weather conditions should be monitored in administrative offices.
  • Laboratories will need to be secured (by turning off gas burners or other laboratory equipment which could cause additional health and safety concerns) if a warning is issued.
  • Have portable radio and flashlight and other emergency supplies.
  • During the spring season, tornado sirens are tested Wednesdays at noon. The tests last for thirty seconds. In the event that the siren sounds on a Wednesday morning for longer than thirty seconds, you should initiate tornado protection procedures.  Sirens are not tested during a Tornado Watch or threatening weather.

Beginning or During

  • All university activities are automatically suspended when the sirens sound. This includes classes, meetings, laboratories, and business operations. 
  • At the first sound of a siren you should seek shelter immediately on the lowest level and toward the center of a building away from windows (for example, interior classrooms, offices, or corridors) and remain there until the Tornado Warning has expired.
  • Classes in session when the Tornado Warning is issued can resume immediately after the warning has expired at the discretion of the instructor. Classes that have not yet begun will resume 30 minutes after the tornado warning has expired provided at least half of the class period remains.
  • Visit the UM Emergency Website for information.
  • Take immediate action.
  • Secure laboratories by turning off gas burners or other laboratory equipment which could cause additional health and safety concerns.
  • Keep hallways clear by standing against the wall. When a tornado approaches, all individuals should assume kneeling position facing the wall with heads bent down.
  • The following areas should be considered “off limits” during a tornado evacuation:
    • Near outside doors
    • Any location on the upper floors of buildings
    • Any outside area
    • Near windows
  • Stay calm.
  • Stay in the designated area in the building.
  • Do not leave the shelter area until the sirens have stopped sounding for at least 5 minutes.

After

  • If buildings are damaged, stay out of the disaster area.
  • Do NOT use telephones except in life-threatening emergencies.
  • Classes in session when the Tornado Warning is issued can resume immediately after the warning has expired at the discretion of the instructor. Classes that have not yet begun will resume 30 minutes after the tornado warning has expired provided at least half of the class period remains.