April 1-5 is Tornado Awareness Week. On Wednesday, April 3, UNMC will be participating in a statewide tornado awareness exercise. The exercise will consist of a mock tornado watch at 10:30 a.m., followed by a mock tornado warning at 10:40 a.m. The exercise will not be held if severe weather is in the area. (The backup date is Thursday, April 4).
Douglas and Sarpy counties may sound the Civil Defense Warning Sirens. Departments may determine their level of participation, however, at the very minimum, staff should review the departmental plan and determine where the shelter is located.
During the drill, the campus also will be testing a new telephone notification system. The system will make 200 phone calls simultaneously. Safety Operations will contact selected people in each building who will then alert others in their area.
Any problems or concerns should be reported to John Hauser, Safety Operations.
For more severe weather information visit the National Weather Service’s Severe Weather Awareness Web site.
Definitions
Severe thunderstorm warning — Issued by the National Weather Service when storms with strong winds, rain and hail are expected in the area. A severe thunderstorm warning may last for a few hours.
Tornado watch — Issued when weather conditions exist that could produce a tornado. A tornado watch may last for several hours.
Tornado warning — Issued when a tornado has actually been sighted and is in a position to threaten the community. At this time, the civil defense warning sirens are sounded, and the emergency messages are flashed on the radio and the television networks. A tornado warning usually lasts for 30 minutes or less.
Civil Defense Warning Siren — A series of sirens activated by the Emergency Operations Center in the City-County Building to alert the public that an emergency condition exists in the area. Sirens also may be activated to alert the public to straight-line winds in excess of 80 mph in the area.