Weather Hazards

Tornadoes

When a tornado watch is announced, this means that tornadoes may occur. Keep your radio or television or NOAA weather radio tuned to a local station for information and advice from Weather Service.

When a tornado warning is issued, take shelter immediately. A tornado has actually been sighted. The warning signal is a 3 to 5 minute sound on sirens, whistles or other devices. On campus, Public Safety may sound their patrol car sirens with a very long blast (about 3 to 5 minutes), followed by a short silence, then another long blast, etc. Once you are safely in a shelter, then turn on the local radio or television station for official information and instructions. The Environmental Safety Officer monitors the Weather Service and Public Safety radio frequencies and immediately notifies persons in each building on campus of the changing weather conditions. It is their job to notify the other building occupants.

In dormitories, office buildings, classroom buildings, etc., stand in an interior hallway on a lower floor, preferably in the basement or designated shelter area, if one is available. If a building has no basement, seek out interior spaces that form a protective core. Small rooms, such as closets or bathrooms in the center offer the greatest protection. Once in this area, cover your head with pillows, mattresses, etc., to protect yourself from flying debris.

Always stay away from the windows, exterior walls and exterior doors.

Avoid auditoriums and gymnasiums or other structures with wide, free-span roofs. 

The most dangerous locations of a building are usually along the south and west sides, and at all corners. (The direction of most tornadoes is from the southwest to the northeast.) If you are outside and there is no time to find suitable shelter, lie flat in the nearest depression, such as a ditch, culvert, excavation or ravine. Cover the back of your neck with your hands.

If you are in your car – do not try to outrun a tornado with your vehicle. Leave your vehicle immediately! If it is not possible to find suitable shelter inside a building, lie flat in a ditch, culvert or low area and cover the back of your neck with your hands. 

After the tornado – stay alert! Take extreme care when moving about in an area damaged by a tornado. Watch for broken power lines, shattered glass, splintered wood, or other sharp protruding objects.

In the event a tornado does hit South Georgia College, use a telephone only for emergency purposes. During disaster situations, telephone overloads make coordination difficult for emergency operations forces. 

In the event a tornado or severe winds cause extreme damage to campus property or results in numerous personal injuries, the campus will be closed and traffic barriers placed at the college entrances, with Public Safety controlling traffic onto campus.

Thunderstorms and Lightning

Not all thunderstorms produce tornadoes, but severe thunderstorms have lightning, strong winds, and other hazards, such as damaging hail.

As soon as you see lightning, count the seconds until you hear the thunder. If there are 5 seconds, the lighting was about a mile away. If you see lighting and hear thunder at just about the same time, watch out. The storm is right above you, only a few hundred feet away.

Keep an eye on the sky and when you see nearby lightning:

• Try to get into a house or large building.
• Don’t go into a shed that stands alone.
• Don’t stand under a tree that stands alone. If there is no other shelter, get underneath a small tree in the midst of other small trees. 
• You may get inside a hard-topped car. 
• If you’re in water, get out.
• Get away from the beach.Don’t stay in a boat if a storm is approaching. 
• If you’re on high ground, try to get to lower ground. Don’t be higher than your surroundings.
• Don’t carry anything made of metal and don’t be near anything made of metal, such as motorcycles, bicycles, fences, cables, metal pipes, etc. 

• If you’re in an open, level area, separate yourself from others. If you feel your hair stand on end, lightning is about to strike. Crouch on your knees and bend over, putting your hands on your knees. Do not lie down, because wet ground can carry electricity. 

If you’re inside:

• Stay away from water faucets, sinks, tubs, electric appliances and anything that could conduct electricity.
• Don’t use the telephone unless there’s an emergency. Keep away from windows and doors. 

Floods

Do not attempt to cross a flooding stream on foot where the water is above your knees or where it is swiftly flowing.

If you are driving, don’t try to drive through water of unknown depth. Even water that appears shallow, but is swiftly moving, can carry your vehicle downstream.

If your vehicle stalls while in water, abandon it immediately and seek higher ground. Many deaths have been caused by attempts to move stalled vehicles. 

Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize flood dangers. 

On campus, Public Safety will block off roads that are flooded. Do not attempt to go around these blockades.

Public Safety will provide notification when evacuation becomes necessary.