04-28-97
08-14-95
Tornado Safety Information
GENERAL INFORMATION
The University of Oklahoma and its Police Department are very concerned about the safety and well-being of everyone associated with the Norman Campus.
Particularly during tornado season, we provide important information that we hope will be carefully reviewed by everyone who receives it. We cannot overstate the importance of knowing how to respond to a tornado warning in central Oklahoma.
For persons viewing this page from outside the Norman area, check with your local emergency authorities regarding specific emergency instructions and refuge information in YOUR area.
You may download an abbreviated, "printer-friendly" version of this this document (.PDF format) at: http://www.ou.edu/oupd/tornado.pdf.
A tornado's destructive path may vary from 50 yards to one mile in width. Wind speed inside a tornado can exceed 300 mph. While most tornadoes have a forward speed of about 35 to 40 miles per hour, each year some will barely move, and others may move along at over 60 mph. The following instructions for different areas and situations should be studied:If you are in the open:
- Attempt to reach a protective area, such as a sturdy building with a basement
- If there is not time to escape or find a suitable protective area, lie flat and face-down on low ground, protecting the back of your head with your arms. Get as far away from trees and cars as you can; they may be blown onto you in a tornado. Avoid areas subject to rapid water accumulation or flooding in heavy rains. (If in a vehicle, see "In a CAR or TRUCK", below.)
If you are in class:
- The instructor will dismiss the class immediately, after advising students to proceed to a lower level hallway or basement of the building or to the nearest substantially constructed building if the facility being used is not suitable as a protective area.
- The function will be terminated at once, and the participants will be advised promptly to seek a protective area on the ground floor away from glass or in the basement of the building. Buildings with broad, flat roofs or large open interior spaces (such as auditoriums, cafeterias, or gymnasiums) should not be used or considered as protective areas. Many such areas, however, have adjacent service spaces (such as corridors, walk-in coolers, or showers) which are reasonably safe.
TORNADO SIRENSThe city of Norman maintains a citywide outdoor warning siren network that is used to signal imminent danger from tornadoes.
It is a familiar sound, as it is tested every Friday at noon, including cloudy and rainy Fridays, unless there is a threat of severe weather in the area, or when
temperatures are substantially below freezing.A steady siren for three to five minutes means IMMINENT DANGER. Take shelter immediately in the nearest suitable protective area. Protective areas should be identified in advance. Once the sirens sound, it is too late to seek protection at a remote location.
An "all clear" signal will NOT be given via the siren system. It is urged that reliance be placed on the local broadcast media for this and other status and forecast information.
Outside the Norman area, check with local authorities for information about what a "siren system" signal means (if one is used), and whether or not an all clear signal will be given by siren.
WEATHER ADVISORIES
(AND ALL-CLEAR SIGNALS)
The National Weather Service (NWS) broadcast continuous weather status and forecast information on a special frequency of 162.400 MHz from its Norman office; this information is updated hourly.
In addition, the NWS will broadcast special alert tones and messages for tornado warnings, flash flood warnings and similar impending weather emergencies.
Special weather radio* receivers are available for purchase to monitor this frequency and receive the special alert warnings. Those persons or offices requiring current, official weather information or desiring to take advantage of the alert warning service should check with a radio equipment dealer for further information.
The Norman Forecast Office conducts a weekly alert test, each Wednesday at noon, to allow weather radio owners to verify that their radios are functioning correctly. If there is a risk of severe weather around noon on Wednesday, the test is postponed until the next "good weather" day. For more tests details, visit:
Listen online now (live stream) to the Norman, OK area NOAA Weather radio station, WXK85 (162.400).
The National Weather Service encourages everyone to use NOAA Weather Radio to receive life-saving warnings and other information from the National Weather Service in Norman. The warning alarm precedes tornado and severe thunderstorm watches, and tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings, as well as other emergency messages, and is designed to activate specially designed weather radio receivers, providing audible and/or visual warning signals to homes, schools and businesses in the path of the storm.
It is recommended that all persons maintain a battery-operated AM and/or FM transistor radio and take that radio with them should it become necessary to seek a protective area from a tornado or other severe storm.
Persons in protective areas should not rely on visual observations of local conditions as a reliable indicator of the true status of the weather, since hail and tornadoes have been known to occur under apparently clear-sky conditions.
Note: *—The term "weather radio" (also known as "NOAA Weather Radio", or "NWS Weather Radio" or "NWR") refers to a radio that receives National Weather Service (NWS) warnings, watches, forecasts, and other hazard information 24 hours a day. " NOAA" refers to the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration —the parent-agency of the National Weather Service.
Not all "weather radios" have the NWR "S.A.M.E." technology: SAME, or "Specific Area Message Encoding" allows you to specify the particular area for which you wish to receive alerts. Most warnings and watches broadcast over NOAA Weather Radio are county-based or independent city-based (parish-based in Louisiana), although in a few areas of the country the alerts are issued for portions of counties.
Since most NWR transmitters are broadcasting for a number of counties, SAME receivers will respond only to alerts issued for the area (or areas) you have selected. This minimizes the number of “false alarms” for events which might be a few counties away from where you live. For more information on weather radio selection/purchase and features/considerations, visit http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwrrcvr.htm and also http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/wxradio/.
Local AM/FM Radio Stations
Radio stations which may carry local weather advisories
(and forward all-clear information):
KGOU, 106.3 FM, OU-Norman
KREF, 1400 AM, Norman
KKNG, 93.3 FM, Newcastle
KOMA, 1520 AM, Oklahoma City
KTOK, 1000 AM, Oklahoma City
WWLS, 640 AM, Moore
CAMPUS PROTECTIVE AREAS
Protective areas from a tornado may be sought in buildings of substantial masonry construction; most University facilities have spaces that may be used as protective areas. These protective areas can usually be found in interior spaces or hallways away from exterior walls and windows.
Once the sirens sound, it is too late to proceed to a remote protective area. Residents should stay alert to developing severe weather and have identified a suitable protective area beforehand.
The lowest level of the building should be used, avoiding spaces with windows; close doors between your refuge area and adjacent windowed areas to limit flying debris.
Buildings of frame construction and those with broad, flat roofs or large open interior spaces (such as auditoriums, cafeterias, or gymnasiums) should not be used or considered as protective areas. Many such areas, however, have adjacent service spaces (such as corridors, walk-in coolers, or showers) which are reasonably safe.
Building-Specific
Recommended Refuge Areas:
Bizzell Library
Recommended Refuge Areas:
-
Lower Level II: The elevator lobby, public corridor, and public restrooms.
-
Lower Level I: The elevator lobby, public corridor, public restrooms, and library book storage.
- Floors 1 through 5: It is recommended that persons on these floors move, down the stairs, to the below-grade refuge of Lower Levels I and II.
Physical Sciences Center
Recommended Refuge Areas:
-
Floors 1 through 4: Interior corridors and lobbies away from glass entrance areas. All classrooms, laboratories, offices and toilet rooms are also considered equally safe.
-
Floors 5 through 11: Central classrooms, seminar spaces and supply rooms are recommended as refuge areas for occupants of each floor. Toilet rooms offer an even greater degree of protection but are of limited size and alternate between gender designations from floor to floor.
Recommended Refuge Areas:
-
Upper Seating and Concourse: Persons in the upper seating areas should move to the upper concourse level, where they can seek refuge in toilet rooms and available portions of concessions areas.
-
Lower Seating and Arena Floor: The floor-level "tunnel" (and it's publicly accessible branching corridors) and the mid-concourse's exit vomitory areas offer the most protection in the event the roof is severely damaged.
To the greatest extent possible, persons should move away from the arena floor where the greatest damage would occur.
-
Practice and Administration Wing: Due to the large number of windows in this area, all occupants should move to the vomitory areas that link this wing to the main structure.
& University Apartment Centers
Suitable protective areas have been identified within each university housing center. To protect persons using these spaces against airborne debris, particularly glass and wood splinters, all doors opening into the protective spaces should be closed while in use for a severe weather protective area.
OU Housing staff provides residents with annual severe weather safety training/information and OU housing centers maintain/monitor NOAA S.A.M.E. weather radios. Residents with questions regarding severe weather emergency procedures or designated protective areas in their housing center should contact their building staff or OU Housing and Food Services, 325-2511.
RESIDENCE HALLS
In the event of National Weather Service "Tornado Watches" for Cleveland County, OU Housing staff will post a "specific" notification sign on the first floor of each residence hall building, and in elevator cars, alerting residents to "stay tuned" to weather conditions on TV/radio. Housing staff will also monitor the NOAA "S.A.M.E." weather radio in each Duty Office. Also, through the emergency command system, all residential halls (Walker, Couch, Cate and Adams centers) have voice-notification announcements for tornado watches and warnings.
In the event of a NWS "Tornado Warning" for our area, students living in University residence halls are advised to follow the emergency response procedures permanently posted in the elevator lobbies, hallways, or the back side of residents' room doors.
UNIVERSITY APARTMENTS
In the event of National Weather Service "Tornado Watches" for Cleveland County, OU Housing staff will post a "specific" notification sign throughout the complexes alerting residents to "stay tuned" to weather conditions on TV/radio.
Residents of University apartments are encouraged to follow these National Weather Service suggestions for occupants of houses and apartments without basements:
"Once the siren sounds, it is too late to proceed to a remote protective area. Go to an interior room such as a hallway, closet, or bathroom. Crouch as low as possible to the floor, facing down; and cover your head with your hands. A bathtub may offer a shell of partial protection. Even in an interior room, you should cover yourself with some sort of thick padding (mattress, blankets, etc.), to protect against falling debris in case the roof and ceiling fail."
Plan ahead! Know where you can seek refuge in a matter of seconds, and practice an apartment "tornado drill" with your roommates at least once a year. Have a pre-determined place to meet after a disaster.
Flying debris is the greatest danger in tornadoes - so store protective padding/coverings (mattress, blankets, sleeping bags, etc.) in or next to your refuge space, ready to use on a few seconds' notice. If you've created a "severe weather emergency kit" (described below on this webpage), your "planned" refuge area would be a good place to store your kit!
When a Tornado Watch is issued, think about your "tornado drill" and check to make sure all your safety supplies are handy. Turn on local TV, radio or NOAA Weather Radio and stay alert for Warnings.
Avoid windows! -Forget about the old notion of opening windows to equalize pressure; a tornado will blow open the windows for you! However, do close all doors between your refuge area and adjacent areas with windows - to help limit flying debris.
SOONER SUITESTake cover in the bathroom or center hallway in each suite. Cover yourself with any available padding such as blankets and comforters.
CHILD-CARE CENTERS
Because severe weather, including tornadoes, is often preceded by extended heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds, taking young children outdoors to an alternate facility is potentially hazardous and therefore inadvisable.
To avoid this undesirable exposure, the best available protective area has been identified on the premises of each of the on-campus child-care facilities. All on-campus child-care centers maintain/monitor NOAA S.A.M.E. weather radios. OUPD has communicated with each child-care center's management about emergency actions and cautioned that doors in protective areas should be arranged to protect against airborne debris, particularly glass and wood splinters.
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CAMPUSES —
NORTH & SOUTH
In buildings of substantial masonry construction, ground floor corridors having no direct exposure to exterior windows with doors closed offer adequate protection.
In frame structures, small windowless interior spaces such as closets or restrooms on the ground floor offer the best available protective area. Doors should be arranged to protect against airborne debris, particularly glass and wood splinters. Avoid seeking protection/shelter in large open structures such as hangars.
REMEMBER: — Once the sirens sound, it is too late to proceed
to a remote protective area! Residents/occupants should stay alert to developing severe weather and have identified an immediately accessible protective area beforehand.In a CAR or TRUCK:
Vehicles are extremely dangerous in a tornado.
If the tornado is visible, far away, and the traffic is light, you may be able to drive out of its path by moving at right angles to the tornado. Otherwise, park the car as quickly and safely as possible -- out of the traffic lanes. (It is safer to get the car out of mud later if necessary than to cause a crash.)
Get out and seek shelter in a sturdy building. If in the open country, run to low ground away from any cars (which may roll over on you). Lie flat and face-down, protecting the back of your head with your arms.
Avoid seeking shelter under bridges and highway overpasses, which can create deadly traffic hazards while offering very little protection against flying debris.
OFF-CAMPUS Public Refuge Areas:
The City of Norman makes a limited amount of refuge space available for people who are not already in substantial buildings, such as those living in mobile homes. Those shelters are:
- Irving Recreation Center - 1920 E. Alameda
- Whittier Recreation Center - 2000 W. Brooks
- Cleveland Elementary School - 500 N. Sherry
- Little Axe High School - 1306 168th Ave. NE
The City of Norman Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is staffed during severe weather events and can be reached at 292-7008 for questions regarding shelter openings and current severe weather conditions. Store the Norman EOC's phone number on your portable phone and take your portable/cell phone with you when you seek shelter!
WEATHER TERMS
The National Weather Service (NWS), public news media and public safety agencies use standardized terminology when referring to severe weather conditions. Those terms most frequently used are listed and defined below:Severe Thunderstorm—
A thunderstorm which produces tornadoes, wind gusts of 50 knots (58mph) or greater and/or hail three-quarters of an inch in diameter or larger.
Tornado—
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from the base of a thunderstorm. A tornado may not have a visible "funnel". Tornado wind speeds have been measured at over 300 mph.
Debris Cloud—
A rotating "cloud" of dust or debris, near or on the ground, often appearing beneath a condensation funnel and surrounding the base of a tornado. A debris cloud beneath a thunderstorm is all that is needed to confirm the presence of a tornado, even in the total absence of a condensation funnel.
Funnel Cloud—
A condensation funnel extending downward from the cloud-base but NOT touching the ground or creating a debris cloud. (A "funnel cloud" is NOT a "tornado".)
Tornado or Severe Thunderstorm WATCH—
Issued by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) as a precautionary alert when conditions are favorable for the development of tornadoes or severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.
By example, a "Tornado Watch" defines an area where tornadoes and other kinds of severe weather are possible in the next several hours. It does not mean tornadoes are imminent — just that you need to be alert, and to be prepared to seek safe refuge if tornadoes do happen or a Warning is issued.
When a "Watch" is issued, it's time to turn on local TV or radio, make sure your weather radio is on and its alarm-switch is set, make sure you have ready access to safe shelter, and make your friends and family aware of the potential for tornadoes in the area. The NOAA Storm Prediction Center issues Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm Watches. (For more information on tornado watches and other NOAA SPC bulletins, go here.)
Tornado or Severe Thunderstorm WARNING—
A "Tornado Warning" is issued by the NWS Forecast Office when a tornado has been sighted by storm spotters or detected by radar.
A "Severe Thunderstorm Warning" is issued by the NWS Forecast Office when a thunderstorm produces three-quarter inch (or larger) hail and/or winds of 58 mph or greater.
Information in "Warnings" include:
- the storm location,
- towns that will be affected, and
- the primary threat associated with the storm.
(The two clickable links above, for the "NWS Forecast Office", are to our local NWS Forecast Office in Norman, OK. If you are in another area of the state/country, click here for a state-by-state list of NWS Forecast Offices, to find the local NWS Forecast Office for your area.)
AFTER THE TORNADO...
Keep with your group/family together and wait for emergency personnel to arrive. Carefully render aid to those who are injured.
Stay away from power lines and puddles with wires in them; they may still be carrying electricity! Watch your step to avoid broken glass, nails, and other sharp objects. Stay out of any heavily damaged houses or buildings; they could collapse at any time.
Do not use matches or lighters, in case of leaking natural gas pipes or fuel tanks nearby. Remain calm and alert, and listen for information and instructions from local radio, emergency crews, and local officials.
THUNDERSTORM SAFETY
More people are killed in the U.S. by lightning
each year than by tornadoes and hurricanes.
Lightning Safety Rules:
- Postpone outdoor activities if thunderstorms are imminent. This is your best way to avoid being caught in a dangerous situation.
- Move to a sturdy building or car. Do not take shelter in small sheds, under isolated trees, or in convertible automobiles. Stay away from tall objects such as towers, fences, telephone poles, and power lines.
- If lightning is occurring and a sturdy shelter is not available, get inside a hard top automobile and keep the windows up. Avoid touching any metal.
- Utility lines and metal pipes can conduct electricity. Unplug appliances not necessary for obtaining weather information. Avoid using the telephone or any electrical appliances. Use phones ONLY in an emergency. Turn off air conditioners. Power surges from lightning can cause serious damage.
- Do not take a bath or shower during a thunderstorm.
- If you're caught outdoors, and no shelter is nearby, find a low spot away from trees, fences, and poles. Make sure the place you pick is not subject to flooding. If you are in the woods, take shelter under the shorter trees. If you are boating or swimming, get to land and find shelter immediately!
The pie chart, below, shows the worst places to be when lightning occurs. In recent years, lightning causes an average of 93 deaths and 300 injuries per year. Most casualties occur during outdoor activities of the summer months, primarily in the afternoon and early evening.
SEVERE WEATHER EMERGENCY KIT
Be Prepared At Home Before Severe Weather Strikes
If you're living off-campus, a severe storm can knock out utility services to your area, leaving you without electricity, heat, water or fresh food. It's a good idea to put together an emergency kit you can grab at a moment's notice (or store it in the "protective area" in your house you plan to use during severe weather.)
Be sure to store your emergency kit in a waterproof container. (Remember to check your kit semi-annually. Suggested: At Daylight-Savings-Time change, when you replace your home smoke detector batteries!)
Your emergency kit should include:
Flashlight and extra batteries (Check batteries semi-annually!)
Battery-operated radio with a weather band First aid kit with essential medicines and a manual A large jug of drinking water Non-perishable, ready-to-eat food Towels, toilet paper and bathroom items A spare pair of shoes (that give some protection
frombroken glass and broken wood fragments)
Work gloves Duct tape Prepaid phone cards, spare credit cardsor small cash-stash
A copy of insurance documents Blankets and sleeping gear List of phone numbers and addresses ofemergency services and protective areas,
physicians, family and friends
(You might want to consider keeping a copy, in your emergency kit, of your completed "Lost/Stolen Wallet Inventory & Emergency Checklist", in case you don't have your wallet/purse with you when you seek refuge.)
Stock the kit with spare home tools that you may need:
Hammer and nails A pocket multi-tool Screwdrivers, pliers and wrenches Small pry-barMake sure everyone in your family knows where the kit is kept. Be sure and store your severe weather emergency kit in the protected area where you plan to seek shelter from storms! Review your emergency plan with your family and post the written plan.
Common Sense Note: Candles and matches in your kit are great for use during a simple storm-related power outage/blackout, but their use could be hazardous where actual storm damage to your house has caused gas leaks. Use with care!
Additional ideas for disaster emergency kits can be found, online on the Internet, at http://www.ready.gov/index.html and at http://www.redcross.org/disaster/safety/fdsk.pdf.
with you when you seek refuge!
The OU Police Department is responsible for the planning and coordination of emergency preparedness on the Norman campus. We work closely with the City of Norman's Disaster Preparedness Coordinator. Comments or suggestions with regard to this or other programs of the University of Oklahoma Police Department are always welcome. Qualified public safety personnel are available to assist other units of the university with internal emergency planning or preparedness.
Anyone having questions about the information in this document or about the University's emergency preparedness programs are invited to contact the University Police at 325-2864. NOTE: Callers are asked to refrain from using the campus emergency number (911) or phone system for routine inquiries, particularly during weather alerts.
Routine emergency preparedness questions can also be emailed to OUPD at OUPD OPERATIONS
ONLINE
SEVERE WEATHERM
SAFETY INFORMATION
You Are Here! Online severe weather and tornado safety information is available anytime on this page at the OUPD website... http://www.ou.edu/oupd/tornado.htm.
Local NWS forecast information is available at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun.
For more information about tornadoes, see The Tornado FAQ at: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/
Also see, the National Severe Storm Laboratory's (NSSL - located in Norman, OK) Tornado "Preparedness Guide" at http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/NWSTornado/
The Oklahoma Weather Lab's "Severe Weather" webpage is at http://owl.ou.edu/severe/.
The National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Office's Severe Weather Information and Links page is at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/severewx/.
Live Streaming Weather Radio:
Listen online now to NOAA Weather radio station WXK85 (162.400) in the Norman, OK area.
- For other NOAA weather radio stations/atreams, visit: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/streamaudio.htm#livestream.
You may download an abbreviated, "printer-friendly" version of this this document (in Adobe .PDF format) at: http://www.ou.edu/oupd/tornado.pdf.
You can download free Adobe Acrobat Reader software, to read and print Adobe .PDF format files, from: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
Questions regarding the OU Norman Campus Tornado Information should contact OUPD Operations by email or at 325-2864.Click here for our weather "links" page.
the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma.
All rights reserved.
Sponsor: OU Police Department — Developer: R.M.Hamilton, OUPD
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