On Tuesday, March 20, University of Richmond will participate in the annual statewide tornado drill sponsored by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service.
Gov. Robert McDonnell recognized the statewide tornado drill as Tornado Preparedness Day.
According to the Tornado Preparedness Day Certificate of Recognition, the drill is scheduled for 9:45 a.m. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Radio and Emergency Alert Systems will broadcast a tornado-drill test message.
Brittany Schaal, director of emergency management, said to start the drill, the Richmond Tornado Warning System (TWS) siren would sound.
If students do not hear the siren, Schaal said signing up for UR Alert was another way to be notified of a possible tornado.
"Beyond the Tornado Warning System, UR Alert will be fully activated, sending messages via voice, text and e-mail," Schaal said. "Generally, UR Alert takes 10-15 minutes to fully cycle through all registered accounts."
She said the goal of the drill was for students and faculty to report to the designated safe areas within their buildings. If Building Emergency Coordinator(s) determine this is not a drill, students and faculty will crouch down on the floor and cover their heads, Schaal said. The drill is scheduled to run for five minutes, she said.
A statistic in a VA Department of Emergency Management news release claimed in 2011, 51 tornadoes hit Virginia, the second highest number on record. It also said that in April 2011, 10 people died, more than 100 people were injured and 212 homes and 17 businesses were destroyed.
According to the news release, most tornadoes last year occurred in April, but the VA Department of Emergency Management staff said there was no such thing as a tornado season.
"Tornadoes can strike anywhere, anytime and you need to know the drill," according to the department website.
Part of knowing the drill is becoming familiar with the signs of a tornado, Schaal said. She said to be on the lookout for a dark, greenish sky; a large, dark, low-lying cloud; a loud roar or hail or heavy rain followed by a dead calm.
If students or faculty are inside, the best place to go is the lowest level possible in the building, she said. Schaal said to make sure to stay away from corners, windows and doors.
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"If you are outside, you never want to try to outrun a tornado," Schaal said. "You don't know what the path will be or how quickly the tornado will be moving."
She said to try to get inside, but if that was not possible, the best thing to do was lie flat in a nearby ditch and cover your head.
Schaal said if people were in the Tyler Hanes Commons during a tornado, they should go to the bathroom and get as far away as possible from the windows. As far as the apartments, she said to duck and cover in the downstairs hallway.
Carter Baum, a sophomore from Mission Hills, Kan., said there were about 100 tornadoes every year in Kansas.
"Tornadoes can be scary and very destructive," Baum said. "It is prudent to have some kind of plan of action, but the extreme randomness of tornadoes makes it pointless to fear them."
Contact staff writer Marie Jayme at marie.jayme@richmond.edu
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