CANCELED – March 23 Statewide Tornado Drill with Sirens

Please note the March 23 statewide tornado drill with sirens has been canceled because of potential inclement weather. Authorities want to be sure there is no confusion should a siren have to be sounded Wednesday morning anywhere in the state.

Please remember the outdoor siren protocol: During a tornado warning, the sirens operate on a 3-minutes-on, 10-minutes-off cycle for the duration of the warning. No all-clear message is issued via the sirens, so make sure you have a way to receive emergency communications while you shelter.

Here is basic tornado safety information, also available on the OWU website:

Signage is available in Ohio Wesleyan buildings to instruct those inside where to go if tornadoes are forecast. If you need to react quickly and are unaware of designated safety locations, please follow these Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines:

If you are in a large building:

  • Go to the pre-designated shelter area, if available, or to a basement or the lowest building level.
  • If there is no basement, go to the center of an interior room on the lowest level (closet, interior hallway) away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls.
  • Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside.
  • Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck.
  • Do not open windows.

If you are outside with no nearby shelter:

  • Lie flat in a ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands. Be aware of the potential for flooding.
  • Do not get under an overpass or bridge. You are safer in a low, flat location.
  • Never try to outrun a tornado in urban or congested areas in a car or truck. Instead, leave the vehicle immediately for safe shelter.
  • Watch out for flying debris. Flying debris from tornadoes causes most fatalities and injuries.

Signs of imminent danger include:

  • A dark, often greenish sky
  • Large hail
  • A large, dark, low-lying cloud (particularly if rotating)
  • A loud roar, similar to a freight train.

Click here for more tornado safety information from FEMA. 

Source: Public Safety.
Contact: psafety@owu.edu.