The University will conduct a tornado drill today in observance of Tornado Preparedness Day. The drill will serve to test both the University's emergency preparedness in the case of a tornado and the UVaAlerts text-messaging system, Director of Emergency Preparedness Marjorie Sidebottom said.
The campus-wide drill is scheduled to start at 9:45 a.m., and students can expect to receive two messages over the course of the drill, one to begin the exercise and one to conclude it, Sidebottom said. While both messages will be clearly marked that the exercise is only a drill, she said, anytime members of the University community receive a message from the UVaAlerts system, it should be "taken as a true event." Faculty, however, are not required to mention the drill during class.
"It is up to them," she said.
The drill will be followed by a Grounds-wide e-mail and brief survey to evaluate the efficiency of the various text-messaging providers, Sidebottom said, adding that it is important for the University to know how and when members of the student body, faculty and staff receive the UVaAlerts. She said having this information allows her department to anticipate response times in case of future emergency events.
The key to tomorrow's exercises is that students are aware, and in the event of an emergency, "just think about where you are, and where would you go," Sidebottom added.
Marge Thomas, emergency management coordinator for Charlottesville, the University and Albemarle County at the Emergency Communications Center, agreed with Sidebottom that the drill is good practice for people to think about what they would do in the case of an emergency. She noted that people should ask themselves, "If I was there, what steps would I follow?"
Over the past few years, the Emergency Communications Center and the University's Office of Emergency Preparedness have worked together closely to develop ways to help both the University and the community to be prepared for an emergency event, Thomas noted.
Tornados are a very real threat to the Charlottesville area and have occurred in the past five years or so, Thomas said, pointing out that they pose a particular threat to college campuses, where a large majority of students and faculty are often outdoors.
"Tornados are one of the biggest concerns on Grounds at the University because they can come up pretty quickly," Thomas said. Unlike when hurricanes strike, in the case of a tornado, emergency officials often do not have time to plan a widespread emergency response, she added.
"In the Charlottesville area, we have been so fortunate; sometimes that can lead to complacency," Thomas said, adding that as a result, it is important for people to always be aware of things that could happen unexpectedly.
For University students, today's tornado drill will also be a good opportunity to think about emergency procedures, Thomas noted.
"Take this seriously," she said. "Give this some thought"
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