With spring comes baseball, barbecue — and tornadoes. And with most potential disasters, it doesn’t hurt to prepare so that if a tornado touches down, you have some idea what to do and can minimize damage.
“Tragically every year, we see news reports of fatalities caused by tornado or shear wind events,” said Bruce Backus, assistant vice chancellor for environmental health & safety. “The most recent were the 18 deaths associated with the March 1 tornados in Missouri, Alabama and Georgia. Preparing in advance and knowing what to do when a severe weather siren sounds may save your life.”
When a tornado alert sounds or a tornado touches down:
• Evacuate to the basement, an inside hallway or an interior bathroom on the lowest level possible.
• Bring a flashlight and radio.
• Get under heavy furniture and use your arms to protect your head and neck.
• Avoid places with wide-span roofs.
In the St. Louis County system, when a severe-weather siren first sounds, it means that a tornado warning has been issued for a county adjacent to St. Louis County, and the storm is headed our way. The siren will sound again when a tornado warning is issued for St. Louis County.
The system is designed to give as much advance warning as possible for people to seek shelter and to gather weather information from radio and television stations.
Well before a tornado hits, departments, schools and residence halls should have a calling tree established, with names, numbers and locations. The calling tree should include at least one person from each floor or area in that department.
At least one flashlight with extra batteries should be kept on hand, as should at least one battery-operated radio on each floor that should be used only in an emergency.
After a tornado has passed, look around and try to help any injured or trapped persons and turn on the radio to get the latest emergency information. Use the telephone for emergency calls only.
Tornadoes can rupture gas or power lines. If after a tornado has passed you smell gas or chemical fumes, leave the building immediately and notify Protective Services at the School of Medicine at 362-4357 or on the Danforth Campus call the WUSTL Police Department at 935-5555.
Off-campus residents should call 911.
Report all emergencies to the same departments and phone numbers.
For more information, visit ehs.wustl.edu/new/tornadoes.htm.