<p>I remember last year’s big tornado. I don’t have tv so my neighbors came and told me about it. I had actually called my student while they were in the hallway sheltering but there was so much noise I couldn’t understand what he was saying: I thought there was some tail-gaiting or something going on! </p>
<p>The precautions are great recommendations. UA seems to do a good job. I think there were remarkably few deaths given the size of last April’s tornado.</p>
<p>I understand fears (I’m the one that asked about the poisonous snakes in our Bama Bound session - you know there are about 4 different kinds and the river is close!) but driving to campus is probably the more dangerous time for our kids.</p>
<p>There was no warning for campus on Sunday night/Monday morning because well, there was no danger to the campus area. Tornadoes aren’t like hurricanes or blizzards, in that they really do affect a very small area at a time. The entire area was under a tornado watch beginning at about 11pm on Sunday night; yes many students may have been asleep by then, but the weather front was being talked about for days. IMHO, there is no reason why a student should have been caught unaware especially after April 27th. I just checked and the first time I saw this system being chatted up was January 16th (I admit I am both a weather and data weenie, so this was on a message board that I wouldn’t expect most people would follow) </p>
<p>D was up until 3am waiting to see what was going on, because she and I were aware. There was no threat, therefore no warning and she went to sleep. The full county warnings are not considered to be a “good thing” anymore as people get complacent when they hear a warning/siren and it’s not in their area. The idea of using the GPS chips and a polygon warning system is much more efficient because then the only time you’re getting a warning is when there really is a danger and people won’t ignore it. </p>
<p>Despite what Diane Sawyer said on the national news last night, those tornadoes did NOT hit AL without any warning. There is some anger & dismay among meteorologists about that reporting (at the risk of sounding like a broken record, read what James Spann has to say: alabamawx.com ) There are plenty of reports about how things went really well and many lives were spared due to the warning system. </p>
<p>I spent 4 decades living in an area where there were never any tornadoes; when we moved to TN and I realized that tornadoes were a regular possibility and we had no basement, I will admit that I kind of freaked out. But I educated myself & while I am still cautious, I have knowledge that helps me be aware and take steps to protect myself when necessary. For those of you who deal with hurricanes, snowstorms & Nor’easters on a regular basis, you know where to get info on that when you need it. You are also used to storms hitting a very widespread area. That’s very different than how tornadoes affect an area.</p>
<p>I think that the University must walk a pretty fine line between insuring safety and creating unnecessary panic. I think that this is one of those times that we have to give our kids the tools, weather radios and apps to make a good decision.</p>
<p>We live in an area of the suburbs of Chicago called Tornado Alley. I remember just a few short years ago when a tornado hit a local HS. My kids have spent time in our basement, in a tub covered w/ towels. They know to not panic, but to get to low ground, or basement.</p>
<p>If the sky looks bad, if weather reports are saying beware, we need to teach our kids to take responsibility for their own safety. We need to encourage them to not blow it off, to not panic and to make good decisions. For many of us, that is already ingrained in our kids, because that is how they grew up. Texas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Alabama and states in between are all prone to tornados. </p>
<p>I am sure that someone at the University at a high level was monitoring the weather, but it really would be reassuring to know what their paramaters are and how much notice they will give the kids. I have to agree to be a little uncomfortable with there not being a basement in close proximity. </p>
<p>I subscribe to James Spann on both Twitter and Facebook…he is amazing!</p>
<p>This was Ds first experience w/a tornado alert(s) in a county she is living in so she and we were admittedly being precautious, using it as a learning experience and certainly not implying the university did anything wrong. We did not expect the college to send an alert in the night unless there was an imminent threat to the campus which there was not. She/we learned about how the county wide alerts as James Spann said are not specific enough and can/do cause undue concern and then complacency over time His education about the polygon tracking system was excellent…why she will get the phone app. </p>
<p>Our concerns are/were: </p>
<p>Although the storm threats were well noted in the news in the days prior .would it be too alarmist had the University sent out an email message earlier in the day saying there would be tornado threats in the state which would be being monitored to reassure those students who this was a first time experience for. We were confident they were being monitored by the university but do feel that reassurance is good for first time students. I do know of some of Ds other friends in other dorms who were up watching the TV and nervous because they hadnt heard anything from the university.</p>
<p>Our D is not aware of what the plan is in the event a tornado directly is touching down on campus where they are to go a basement building, a stairwell etc. So we would like to be informed by UA about that. </p>
<p>Has or is UA sending out information to students about the availability of the polygon phone apps, helmet use etc. I agree this information should come from parents first to educate our kids about what to do in the event a tornado is touching down in their area but reinforcement and awareness education from their university can often be useful (the ole kids tend to listen to others more than their parents.) And with the high OOS student population I imagine there are a fair amount of kids not familiar with this information or who don’t understand county wide vs. polygon warnings etc.</p>
<p>The very first ‘page’ of MY BAMA has information on the UA alert system. Every time your student logs in they are greeted with that information. </p>
<p>Since 911, we are all encouraged to be ready to evacuate and self-sustain for a few days. My son keeps a backpack with a few things ready to go both at home and at school. On the two occasions they have sheltered he has been able to grab it. If nothing else, there is something for him to work on while waiting,a flashlight, and a snack and water! (Will consider adding a helmet!) The RAs check the rooms and students who do not shelter as instructed have some type of discipline imposed. I stress to my son to have some cash available (no electricity=no charge card) and a means of charging his phone - and I know he will be smart. UA fed the kids and took care of all of them after 4/27, despite electrical outages, etc… When final exam plans were announced many OOS students found that room mates and friends in-state took them home for a few days…often to help with relief efforts as you know.</p>
<p>If he weren’t in/near the dorm when they were called to shelter, he would have had to make do as he could and many did.</p>
<p>If you haven’t already done so, please do check with [Home</a> | Ready.gov](<a href=“http://www.ready.gov%5DHome”>http://www.ready.gov) or your local CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and consider getting yourself trained. Our young adults should do this, too. Helmets are a great idea ,as are phone charges, a g0-pack, etc.</p>
<p>trvlbug you have some very valid ideas and concerns. </p>
<p>I think it would be best to hear the answers from someone at UA…Are the students instructed where to go and what to do before an emergency situation arises? Maybe something is said during Bama Bound?</p>
<p>How do they know where to go if they are outside on campus? Do sirens go off? What buildings have basements? If your child is in the dorm, how do they know where to go?</p>
<p>The Student…i love your idea of having a backpack packed to take with to shelter. I am adding that to my ‘to do’ list for the Fall.</p>
<p>That all being said…I still hold that it is up to each of us to prepare our kids and make sure that they know where to go and what to do. If they have to ask around, and find the right person, so be it. Maybe then they will remember it. </p>
<p>This is a tough topic for all of us parents, and we all pray this knowledge is never needed again, but better to be prepared than suprised.</p>
<p>Anyone have any idea who on campus could better address questions about tornado and emergency situations?</p>
<p>D is aware of and uses the UA Alert System. We were more specifically inquiring if anyone knew if there is a detailed plan in place ahead of time for students in dorms without basements like instructions with where they are to report to either in their dorm or to go to a certain building with a basement etc., so students know the plan ahead of time to facilitate less panic if there ever was a situation that required it. D has the emergency radio, a preparedness bag/kit, sleeping bag and we will do the helmet and phone app. Thanks everyone for your input.</p>
<p>Trvlbug and the student, does the University tell the students to have a bag packed like that? This is not something we really deal with where we live, so if I tell my D to have a bag ready and buy her a helmet she’ will probably think that I’m being my over-protective self. However, if the university has it as a policy, then she would comply with it. </p>
<p>I also would like to know if students know where to go and what to do if there is no basement. I don’t really like the stairwell idea either. I never knew that there could be a tornado in January. I need to convince my husband to buy D a smart phone so she can get that app.</p>
<p>We gave my best friend’s son who is a freshman at UA this year a go-kit as a graduation gift last spring. We packed each item in a zip-lock freezer bag in a plastic snap lid box and he packed that in a backpack he already owned. We included a water filtration system that fits on a standard water bottle and water purification tablets, cash in small bills and change, hand warmers, an emergency blanket (can keep you dry and warm), a travel bottle of ibuprofen, a couple of granola bars and some sm. bags of trail mix, and most importantly a radio/flashlight/cell phone charger that runs off solar, AA batteries or the built-in hand crank. DH reminded him to put in a spare pair of socks, an old t-shirt and a helmet. It sounds like a lot but if you shop camping/backpacking sites on the web most of these things are pretty lightweight and small in size. </p>
<p>Having lived here all their lives our children are pretty well prepared. When bad weather is in the forecast we always leave clothes next to the bed, including a jacket, socks and lace-up tennis shoes. Plainly put, lace up shoes and a jacket provide more protection if you are having to climb out of somewhere or step over debris. </p>
<p>What can I say other than DH is a weather geek and two of his responsibilites at his job are to deal with inclement weather and disaster preparedness. :)</p>
<p>linnylu: We did the emergency radio and preparedness kit, sleeping bag on our own, she was happy to have the radio the other night, she just turned it on to the alert only option so she could sleep. The county wide alert came around 2/2:15am then via James Spann online we kept track of the polygon north of campus and once it passed she went back to bed. The next day when I mentioned to her that James Spann had made mention of the phone app for specific polygon detection being better than the emergency radio/county wide alerts and the study out of UAB about the motorcycle helmet, I too thought she might think I was being overprotective with the helmet but she responded if I needed to use it and it could save my life, yes, lets get one. Followed by well if I have a motorcycle helmet I guess I will have to find a boyfriend w/a motorcycle ha! I guess our thoughts are that is it better to be prepared and hope to never have to use the stuff then to be sorry later.</p>
<p>We live in Missouri and tornadoes are not uncommon. I was in Tuscaloosa for the tornado on April 15th (a little over a week before the April 27th one). Most of the stores had small tv’s and all of them were tuned to weather broadcasts. D and I were shopping at The Trunk and they advised us to go back to her dorm (Tutweiller) and seek shelter as they were predicting a very large tornado heading straight for Tuscaloosa. By the time we got back and got to her room the sirens were sounding and the RA’s were having everyone move to the hallways. They put everyone on the lower floors (3 and below). There also was a sound system that alerted the student that a tornado warning had been issued and students were to seek shelter. I can’t remember the exact amount but I know there is a pretty hefty fine if you do not go to the “safe place” ($250?)… Most of the girls had their lap tops and ipads and were monitoring the radar. The tornado actually touched down on south McFarland right across from the Country Inn and Suites where I was staying. Lots of cars had some damage to windows and tons of tree debris. I was so glad my car was parked at Tut.<br>
I really feel that the University did a great job that day. The RA’s are only college girls just like mine but they kept their cool, were organized and seemed prepared. In Missouri we have never heard of the helmet thing and actually laughed when the news guys kept saying to go get your helmets. In this instance they did not pull the mattresses off the beds.
As for April 27th D called very early that morning to tell me that they were expecting VERY bad weather. They had already been warned by email at that point and had been warned by their house mom during breakfast. Maybe RobD can help me here but there is a scale from 1 to 10 indicating the chance of very severe weather. Apparently that day it was a 9. I saw it again on Monday as we were streaming James Spann and at that point it was a 6/10. She and her boyfriend actually went out shopping and called to tell me the sirens were going off and they were heading back to the dorm. By the time they got back the RA"s had begun putting students in the stairwells for precisely the reasons listed above but then made the decision to move them tot he bathrooms on the 1st and 2nd floors and to pull the mattresses off the beds and lie them on top of the students. I was on the phone my D and they were monitoring the tornado on her ipad. She said that they had been told to lay flay under the mattresses because they were to be prepared for a “direct hit”…we spoke on the phone and although I will tell you she was crying you could hear the RA’s comforting students…again they were calm and in control. I really felt that they had done a great job in preparing the kids as best as they could in the space given and the time frame. I kept telling her I loved her and that she would be fine and she reported hearing the wind and then the phone went dead. It was over 20 minutes later before we could reach her (we have Sprint…no service but did finally reach her boyfriend who had AT&T)…
Do I want to go through that again…no but I really feel the University or at least the RA’s in tut did a great job! They kept the kids inside, accounted for everyone and at least the girl in charge of my daughter’s floor went from room to room all night checking on each girl.<br>
As for this Monday my D had high anxiety I am not going to lie. She now lives in the sorority house and so there is no basement. They have been invited to another house to use their basement if they want but they are current;y directed to go to the bathrooms in the foyer. The sirens did not go off that night and so the house mom made the decision to let the girls sleep. Some sororities did go to their safe spots. Again I really felt the situation was handled appropriately. The tornado in Tuscaloosa County was not close to campus …thus no sirens.
I guess what I am trying to say is I am all for precautionary measures. We have talked at length with D about not waiting to go to her safe spot…ect. Sometimes though you just have to have faith and do the best you can do in the situation given. I think UA does a good job and I know they are on top of this and constantly in conversation as to how to do better.</p>
<p>As a parent, I am as concerned as anyone about the safety of my daughter and others at the UA. I can tell you that during the first week on campus, the RA on her floor of the north tower at RCS covered the “what if” of safety. The students were instructed to seek shelter by using the stairs and go the the stairwells because of the structure of the area. She has a smartphone with the weather app. The UA sends alerts. The UA has sirens and a PA on campus that covers the quad as well. The UA and local schools are often proactive and cancel classes in the case of an imminent threat such as in April of a severe outbreak…not your average storm. The UA sent alerts earlier in the week and this storm was predicted and talked about on the news as was the one in April. That being said, tornadoes can sometimes be unpredictable so caution is necessary whenever the weather looks threatening. The My Bama page usually posts alerts too.</p>
<p>I think it is a great idea to be prepared, but logistically there is only so much room for the nearly 1,000 students in the dorm (RCS) and in other dorms to seek safe shelter. There are also faculty families who live in the dorms. I would think it is wise for a student to have a flashlight, cellphone, either a blanket, robe, or jacket, and handheld weather radio and bottle of water, keys and id, a little cash, and maybe a phone charger. Keep in mind that the area in the stairwells needs to accommodate safe shelter for your student and more than 900 others and allow for safe passage.</p>
<p>Although it is a good idea to have a plan and supplies and certainly a helmet would help prevent head injury, realistically I am not so sure how many students of this age would actually wear them around their peers. Talking to your child about different dangers and developing a plan to avoid them or deal with them is certainly a good idea. Young adults do tend to feel invincible. I honestly don’t believe too many of them will go down to the stairwell on their own unless others they know are going or unless they are prodded, that is why I really like the alerts. The counties in Alabama cover a very large area, so every tornado warning will not be a reason to seek shelter, but will be a reason to be prepared to seek shelter.</p>
<p>Another benefit of having a smartphone is the ability to track the buses and make connections for making it across campus quickly. If you have concerns about safety, I highly recommend getting one for your new student. As another plus, the Guardian app allows your student to be located on campus if activated by the student in distress or alert the UA PD to look out for them when walking alone on campus at night. Information is on My Bama.</p>
<p>As ahpimommy mentioned, there is a number assigned to weather conditions on a given day for a given area called the STP (Significant Tornado Parameter) although different forecasters have proprietary products that they give a different names (i.e. Dr. Greg Forbes on the Weather Channel calls his TORCON but it’s the same thing.) A STP over 2 is significant, and 5 or higher is pretty rare. On April 26th at 8pm, computer models showed that there was a 90% chance that the STP would be over 5 from Mobile to Gadsden the next day. On the 27th, they were actually from 8-10 (I have a memory from watching JS during the event and I thought they had gone higher, but I can’t find documentation.) </p>
<p>Now that number doesn’t mean that something IS going to happen, just that it could. My location in Middle TN was around a 6 or so but while we had some thunderstorms, all the rough stuff stayed south.</p>
<p>I just wanted to let the folks here on CC know that UAPD (University of Alabama Police Department) will be discussing UA Alerts and other topics related to staying safe at Bama Bound Orientation this summer. There are also some websites that cover information about weather and emergency procedures. You may already know about these but here are the links just in case:</p>
<p>I have a question. I want to get my D an iPhone for graduation. She she currently has just a regular cell phone and not a smart phone. Hearing about the weather app, makes me want to get her one even more. My husband thinks there is no reason to get her a phone with a data plan- iPhone or droid. He said that the iPad she’ll get, or even her iPod touch, will be sufficient. Is this true?</p>
<p>Also, my husband was asking me how often there has been a tornado on/near the campus in the past 10 years. Does anyone know? I know that is a pretty obscure fact for someone to have an answer to.</p>