WHEN A TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

If you receive a tornado WARNING alert while on the USG campus, seek shelter immediately. Inside a USG building, move to a designated tornado safety area. These designated areas are interior spaces, away from windows, on the lower floors of all campus classrooms and administrative buildings. Do not stay on the top floors of any building. The designated tornado safety areas are:

BUILDING I: 

  • 1st floor classroom hallway (Primary)
  • 2nd floor classroom hallway (Secondary)

BUILDING II:

  • 1st floor classroom hallway (Primary)
  • 2nd floor classroom hallway (Secondary)

BUILDING III (Clifford and Camille Kendall Academic Center):

  • Priddy Library quiet study area (Primary)
  • 2nd floor classroom hallway (Secondary)

BUILDING IV (Biomedical Science and Engineering Building):

  • Classroom G201 (Primary)
  • Classroom 1201 (Secondary)

THINGS TO AVOID:  

  • Do not use the B-III café, the B-II multi-purpose ballroom, or the B-I auditorium as shelters (they contain too many windows and/or critically vulnerable roofs).
  • If you can avoid it, do not shelter anywhere that you can see out of a window.
  • Avoid exposure to flying debris (window glass and other loose materials are a critical danger).
  • Do not go outside or look outside to check the weather or to watch for approaching weather.

IF WALKING OUTSIDE:

  • Go to the nearest building and proceed to the basement of the building. If there is no basement, go to the lowest level of the building and stay away from windows.  

IF INSIDE A RESIDENCE:

  • Go to the basement, safe room, or any lowest level interior room away from windows.
  • Protect yourself from flying debris with a mattress and/or thick blankets, if available.

IF INSIDE A PUBLIC BUILDING:

  • If you have a tornado procedure in place for your building, proceed to your identified shelter location quickly and calmly.
  • If there is no established shelter location, go to the basement, safe room, or any lowest level interior room in the building. Stay away from windows and protect yourself from flying debris with a mattress and/or thick blanket, if available.

IF DRIVING A VEHICLE:

  • Do not drive into or near a tornado.
  • Do not attempt to outrun a tornado, they can change direction and speed quickly.
  • Go into a building and go to the basement or the lowest level.
  • Do not seek shelter under an overpass or underpass.
  • If no building is available, either get down in your car and cover your head, or abandon your car and seek shelter in a low-lying area such as a ditch or ravine.