OPINION: NC State should have a clearer tornado safety protocol

Last week I had a memorable experience of getting stuck in the gym during a tornado warning. After the warning was issued, a large group of people immediately crowded in the hallway of the Recreation Center. As I listened to the chattering of voices and frantic typing of people who still wanted to get work done, I noticed that we weren’t in the best location. In fact, we happened to be gathered very close to the construction happening next to Carmichael Gym. I’m not an expert on tornado safety, but I know that staying in a building with a large crane over it and lots of construction going on nearby probably is not the best idea.

This experience reminded me of my elementary school days, when it was common practice to have tornado drills, where we all huddled on the hallway floor, crouched against the wall. Of course, this form of protection has actually been proven unsafe, but the notion of preparing in advance for a tornado was an excellent idea. This made me wonder why NC State doesn’t have a clear protocol when it comes to tornado safety. Currently, NC State issues Wolfalerts for extreme, adverse weather warnings, which go to the whole student body. However, there is no specific protocol for when adverse weather strikes.

Currently the UNC system has a policy for adverse weather, and NC State also has its own rules and regulations. This policy provides information on the different levels of operation based on the weather, but there is almost no information on how to remain safe during an event such as a tornado. On such a large campus with thousands of residential students, there should be a clearer and more accessible safety protocol for adverse weather. This is especially concerning because a lot of buildings are older or have multiple levels, and in places such as DH Hill, it is difficult to move between floors, which could be dangerous during a tornado when safety and efficiency is critical.

Although fire drills and tornado drills may be difficult to implement on such a large campus, there should be a specific plan for evacuation and relocation should adverse weather occur during class hours. Professors could even put this information on the syllabus so that students can easily access it. Also, creating a detailed safety plan and emailing it to all students, staff and faculty at the beginning of every semester and during each instance of adverse weather would make it far more likely that every person on campus has access to the necessary information regarding safety.

Fortunately, everyone in the gym was safe, and as soon as the tornado warning was over, classes resumed as normal. While it is true that severe weather is a rare occurrence and most tornado warnings are brief, the severity of tornadoes and other forms of severe weather is significant enough that NC State should take additional measures to ensure that students, staff and faculty will always have a way to stay safe.