Washington University will test its emergency sirens at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 11, as part of a statewide tornado drill. The test will take place unless there is the potential for severe weather that day or some other emergency is occurring at that time.
The drill is part of Missouri Severe Weather Awareness Week March 8-12.
The university also will provide information about the test on the emergency Web site, emergency.wustl.edu, and the emergency hotline, (314) 935-9000.
During Missouri Severe Weather Awareness Week, WUSTL students, faculty and staff are encouraged to visit emergency.wustl.edu and click on “severe weather” to learn more about preparing for severe weather and safe ways to react during and after a weather emergency.
During a tornado, the WUSTL community should follow these instructions:
- Evacuate to the basement, an inside hallway or an interior bathroom on the lowest level possible with a flashlight and radio
- Avoid places with wide-span roofs
- Once evacuated, get under heavy furniture (if available)
- Use arms to protect you head and neck.
“Having knowledge of what to do or where to go in case of severe weather is crucial for the safety of the Washington University community in a weather emergency,” said Mark Bagby, emergency management coordinator. “More information on how to stay safe during a tornado or other emergencies can be found on the university’s emergency Web site.”
No communications will be sent via the Emergency Notification System — which sends text and voice messages to registered cell phones and e-mails to @wustl.edu addresses — for this test.
Still, Bagby said, WUSTL community members are strongly encouraged to register their cell phone numbers with the university so they can receive emergency text and voice messages on their cells phones in an actual emergency. To sign up, visit emergency.wustl.edu.
St. Louis County’s monthly siren test, which occurs at 11 a.m. on the first Monday of each month, took place March 1.
WUSTL installed warning sirens on the roofs of Brookings Hall and Seigle Hall in January 2009. A third siren was installed on Nemerov House in the South 40 this past spring.
For more information about the sirens or the drill, e-mail Bagby at bagbym@wustl.edu.