A tornado hits the UA: what next?
The Traveler Editorial Board
Issue date: 9/19/08 Section: Opinion
Last summer, an EF4 tornado struck parts of the Kansas State University campus and caused more than $20 million in damage.
Before that, in February, another EF4 twister ripped through Union University in Tennessee, destroying residence halls and sending at least 51 students to the hospital.
Other cases of tornadoes hitting university campuses - or narrowly missing them - have been reported. Luckily, the UA hasn't been on the list in a while.
But what's stopping tornadoes from heading toward the Hill?
Not much, it appears. Though popular myth says mountains can deter tornadoes, twisters have been known to go up mountains and back down the other sides, according to the National Weather Service.
And seasons don't determine much, either. November is one of the busiest months of the year for tornado activity, and twisters actually can occur at any time or date, said Steve Runnels, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Springfield, Mo.
Bottom line? There's no excuse not to be prepared. Tornadoes don't bow to certain topographical features, seasons or university campuses.
Take Union University. It was February. Students were just getting into the swing of second semester. The potential of a tornado probably was the last thing on their minds.
No one was killed in that winter tornado, which probably could be credited to the university's sound emergency preparedness plans, the university president said in an article by commercialappeal.com, an online Memphis publication.
What about the UA, though? If a tornado were to hit here, would students know where to go? Would UA officials know what to do?
Ask your RAs, RDs, professors and other UA administrators what needs to happen if a tornado were to strike. The possibility is very real, and our tornado safety plans need to be articulated to the students. Now.
Before that, in February, another EF4 twister ripped through Union University in Tennessee, destroying residence halls and sending at least 51 students to the hospital.
Other cases of tornadoes hitting university campuses - or narrowly missing them - have been reported. Luckily, the UA hasn't been on the list in a while.
But what's stopping tornadoes from heading toward the Hill?
Not much, it appears. Though popular myth says mountains can deter tornadoes, twisters have been known to go up mountains and back down the other sides, according to the National Weather Service.
And seasons don't determine much, either. November is one of the busiest months of the year for tornado activity, and twisters actually can occur at any time or date, said Steve Runnels, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Springfield, Mo.
Bottom line? There's no excuse not to be prepared. Tornadoes don't bow to certain topographical features, seasons or university campuses.
Take Union University. It was February. Students were just getting into the swing of second semester. The potential of a tornado probably was the last thing on their minds.
No one was killed in that winter tornado, which probably could be credited to the university's sound emergency preparedness plans, the university president said in an article by commercialappeal.com, an online Memphis publication.
What about the UA, though? If a tornado were to hit here, would students know where to go? Would UA officials know what to do?
Ask your RAs, RDs, professors and other UA administrators what needs to happen if a tornado were to strike. The possibility is very real, and our tornado safety plans need to be articulated to the students. Now.
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