Severe Weather Alerts - Tornado Warning

Owned by Import Utility
Last updated: Dec 14, 2020 by Sam Simpson
3 min read

Department:

Circulation

Purpose:

To provide more detailed, consistent, and accurate instructions to the students who are using the building when the National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning.

Overview:

During spring, late fall, and winter Northwest Indiana has severe weather; oftentimes severe weather warnings are issued. This procedure outlines the appropriate actions to ensure that the students, staff, and faculty who are using the building are as safe as possible. A basic overview of the tornado and all other emergency procedures can be found in the Emergency Manual at S:\CCLS\All Staff\Safety documentation\Safety Manuals, at S:\CCLS\Ref Desk (accessible to students at work stations), and in the Red Emergency Manual binder located on the north wall of the circulation desk.

Required Knowledge/Skills:

Access to the building PA system, Tornado warning signs, a basic familiarity with the emergency manual, and location understanding of all tornado shelter areas on both the first and second floors.

Safety Issues/Precautions:

Awareness of the weather situation outside in relation to the building. Possible flying glass and debris.

Equipment/Supplies:

Procedure

1. Prior to a tornado warning announcement in the building, advise student staff as they work what their roles in the situation may be.

2. When the Tornado sirens have been activated, use the P.A. system to relay the following announcement:

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Valparaiso and the surrounding areas. A warning means that there has been a sighting of a possible tornado in the warning area. Please move quickly to the first and second floors where you will be directed to a tornado shelter area.

3. Lobby doors: Place the Tornado Warning signs found in the “Signs” drawer into the acrylic sign holders on the four inner doors of the second-floor lobby doors.

4. ASB Hallways doors: Place the Tornado Warning signs found in the “Signs” drawer into the acrylic sign holder in front of the calendar, then move the holder to the middle of the hall just in front of the fire doors on the ASB side with the warning sign facing away from the library.

5. Direct student staff to be stationed in the ASRS Tornado Shelter (behind the Circulation Desk area) and to the northwest corner of the Technology Area Tornado shelter (first floor). Everyone should encourage patrons to stay in tornado shelters. We cannot force anyone to remain in the building during the warning, but we can strongly encourage them to do so.

6. Starting with the fourth floor and working down one floor at a time, a manager will check all bathrooms, study rooms, and offices to make sure that people in those areas are moving down to the shelters quickly and in an orderly fashion.

7. Once a manager has verified that everyone is off of a floor, the manager will proceed to the next floor down.

8. Once all floors have been cleared, the manager will be stationed in a tornado shelter either on the first or second floor. If only one manager is present, and conditions permit, s/he should be stationed in the second floor ASRS tornado shelter area. This enables the manager to monitor both the main entrance and to view the monitors to see if people are coming in on the first floor.

9. If patrons are seen entering the building on the first floor, and there is only one manager, the manager should use the phone in the ASRS area to repeat the warning announcement.

10. If there are two managers, one will be in the first-floor shelter area and the other will remain in the ASRS shelter area.

11. Once the warning has been lifted, the manager will use the P.A. system to notify everyone that they may leave the tornado shelters.

Tornado shelter areas:

First Floor:

• Inside loading dock area near the ASRS and mechanical rooms

• Northwest corner of technology alcove

• Back of vending machine room

• Restrooms

Second Floor:

• Microfilm viewing room

• Classroom 261A

• ASRS sorting area

• Restrooms

• Classroom 205

Do not rely on an outside siren system to warn of an impending tornado. The sirens are designed to warn people outside of danger. A tornado warning is intended to warn people inside buildings.*