Tornado Drill a Success

The Office of Security and Safety would like to thank the Bethel community for participating in the tornado drill last month. The level of participation was exemplary, which will help the campus community be prepared in the event of a real severe weather situation.

A few areas for improvement were also discovered during the drill and some have already been corrected:

1) It is important for the Bethel community to remember that outdoor warning sirens are not intended to be heard inside buildings.

2) If your office discovered that it could not hear the siren or emergency address system adequately, please consider purchasing a NOAA radio and signing up for another notification system for severe weather. Additional options include free email and text messaging services from the National Weather Service and many Smart phone apps that offer customized alerts through GPS location integration. Some recommended apps include iMapWeather Radio, My-Cast Weather Radio, and PYKL3 (Android).

3) There was an isolated problem with the emergency address system at the seminary, which has been resolved and is working fine now. The system was tested in December 2011 and will continue to be tested on a regular basis.

4) To avoid overcrowding in storm shelter areas, please review the complete list of locations and use all of the designated areas in the event of a severe weather situation.

Additional feedback, questions, or concerns should be directed to the Office of Security and Safety.