March 14, 2019

Campus-wide tornado drill on March 19; tornado awareness classes set

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University’s Emergency Preparedness and Planning Office will conduct a campus-wide voluntary tornado drill at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday (March 19).

The test is part of the National Weather Service’s “Severe Weather Preparedness Week (March 17-22),” as designated by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb. The National Weather Service, in conjunction with statewide agencies, will test communication systems around the state.

As part of Purdue’s test, multiple warning systems will be activated at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday (March 19). The systems that will be activated include the All Hazard Outdoor Emergency Warning Sirens (intended to warn those outdoors only), text messaging, Twitter (@purdueemergency), desktop popup alert, classroom alert beacons, some digital signs and the Boiler TV Emergency Alerting System layers of the Purdue Alert emergency notification system.  More information on the voluntary drill can be found on the Emergency Preparedness and Planning Office’s website

Building deputies and other building leaders are encouraged to take this opportunity to practice and test their building emergency plans by organizing a shelter-in-place drill. Such a drill is designed to: ensure building occupants know what to do in an emergency, ensure that there is adequate space in shelter-in-place locations and test the functionality of weather radios, computers and other communication devices.

Purdue is located in a county with the highest number of reported tornado touchdowns in the state, so even if a tornado warning shelter-in-place drill is not possible, building occupants should take a few minutes to review their building emergency plan. They should also familiarize themselves with their building’s shelter-in-place locations and review the severe weather tornadoes and thunderstorm procedures published by Purdue’s Environmental Health and Public Safety office. Click here for more information. 

Individual consultations are available for those interested in organizing a shelter-in-place drill for a building. For questions on the tornado drill or for help organizing a shelter-in-place drill for a building, contact Jefferson Howells, director of campus emergency preparedness and planning, at jfhowells@purdue.edu or 765-494-0446.

Purdue’s Environmental Health and Public Safety team also is offering Tornado Awareness sessions this spring that will focus on awareness strategies, responsive actions and things to do after a tornado event. More information on dates and times is available here

Contact: Jefferson Howells, 765-494-0446, jfhowells@purdue.edu

Purdue University, 610 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907, (765) 494-4600

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