Some might be wondering why alarms inside buildings didn’t sounds during the Feb. 9 tornado drill.
The reason is because university officials don’t want people confusing the alarm for a fire and go outside. The safest place to be during a tornado is underground or on the lowest floor in a center room in a building, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“We will always distinguish between a fire and tornado alarm through Blue Alerts,” said Bradd Brown, chief of police. “Of course, if there is a real tornado then people will also hear the tornado sirens outside but we can’t control those for a drill.”
During a drill or emergency, university officials will send a text and email to the campus community warning them of the situation and giving instructions to either move away from buildings during a fire or move to a the nearest shelter location for a tornado. They will also post on the university’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
“Our main priority is keeping everyone on campus safe,” Brown said.
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