PurdueALERT test, campuswide tornado drill on Tuesday (March 14)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University’s Emergency Preparedness and Planning department will conduct a test of the PurdueALERT system at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday (March 14). At the same time, the campus community is invited to participate in a voluntary tornado drill.

The test of the university’s emergency notification system PurdueALERT is part of the National Weather Service’s “Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Indiana (March 12-18),” as designated by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb. The National Weather Service, in conjunction with statewide agencies, will test communication systems around the state.

As part of Purdue’s test, PurdueALERT will be activated at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday. Notifications will be released through email, text messaging and Twitter (@purdueemergency), and posted on the WL Campus Emergency Status webpage. Additionally, the All-Hazards Outdoor Sirens, Alertus beacons installed in large classrooms, desktop pop-up alerts on most classroom and lab computers, digital signs and the Boiler TV emergency alert systems will be activated. The test will be postponed to Wednesday (March 15) if weather conditions warrant.

To participate in the voluntary tornado drill, campus building deputies and other building leaders are encouraged to practice and test their building emergency plans by organizing a shelter-in-place drill. Such a drill is designed to ensure that building occupants know what to do in an emergency and confirm that there is adequate space in designated shelter-in-place locations. This also provides an opportunity to test the functionality of weather radios, computers and other communication devices. The voluntary tornado drill exercise plan can be found on the Emergency Preparedness and Planning website.  

Purdue is located in the county with the highest number of reported tornado touchdowns in the state, so even if a tornado warning shelter-in-place drill is not possible, building occupants should take a few minutes to review their building emergency plan. They should also familiarize themselves with their building’s shelter-in-place locations and review the tornadoes and thunderstorm procedures online.

Contact: Jefferson Howells, 765-494-0446, jfhowells@purdue.edu