University		The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Health and Safety Office		212 Finley Golf Course Road
(919) 962-5507		Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514
FAX (919) 962-0227
February 16, 1999

TO:	Department Heads Departmental Emergency Coordinators
FROM:	Billy Mitchell, Fire Safety Officer
Subject:	Tornado Safety Rules

Photocopied on back is a flyer describing tornado safety rules. Please post the flyer to inform employees in your department of these tips. I also encourage you, in conjunction with your Departmental Safety Coordinator, to pre-plan where your employees are to go in the event of a Tornado Warning.

The primary duty of the Departmental Emergency Coordinator is to assist in the evacuation of the building in the event of an emergency. Of course, in the event of a tornado warning, evacuation is not the recommended action if secure interior space is available. Please contact me if you have any questions or need assistance in pre-planning for tornadoes or other emergencies. I can be reached at 962-5708 or mitchel5gemail.unc.edu.

Thanks for your cooperation.

When a tornado approaches, your immediate action may mean life or death.

• Tornado Watch -  means tornadoes, severe thunder storms, or both, are possible. Conditions are right for tornadoes to develop. University Public Safety will notify departments of tornado watch conditions and will post a voice message on the campus TIS which can be heard by tuning your radio to 1610 AM. If you are located away from your departmental contact, make arrangements for notification or stay tuned to radio or television reports in your area. Keep watch on the sky. Determine where you will take shelter if the alert is escalated to the tornado warning level.
• Tornado warning - means a tornado has been sighted or spotted on radar. You should take shelter immediately. University Public Safety will alert departments that a tornado warning is in effect. Move to the "shelter" area and await the "all clear" notification (monitor 1610 AM).

Identify a sheltered location near your workstation. Seek inside shelter, preferably in a basement, steel-framed or reinforced concrete building of substantial construction. Stay away from windows.

• In Campus Buildings of substantial construction - go to an interior corridor away from windows .
• In Campus Buildings of frame construction - go to the basement or to an interior part of the lowest level (a closet, bathroom, or interior hall). Get under something sturdy. Stay away from windows. Or go to a more substantial building.
• In vehicles, trailers, or mobile homes - go to a building of substantial construction or if that is not practicable, lie flat in a- ditch, ravine or culvert with hands shielding your head.