To prepare the campus for severe weather, TWU Office of Emergency Management is conducting tornado drills in Denton campus buildings through March 29. Drills should last no more than 20 minutes. 

During a drill, a building intercom or portable loudspeaker announcement will be made instructing occupants to seek shelter. Proceed to a safe severe weather sheltering location and remain sheltered until an all-clear announcement is made.

The campus severe weather areas provide safe locations to seek shelter during a severe weather situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to take shelter if a Pioneer Alert goes off for a tornado warning? Pioneer Alerts for tornado warnings mean that protective actions need to be taken immediately. The NWS issues warnings for areas that either a tornado has been confirmed or they can see the rotation in the radar.

What is appropriate protective action? Immediately stop normal activity, even quizzes, labs, and tests. Seek shelter in a windowless area, towards the interior of the building. There are appropriate shelter areas on each floor of every building, so find one closest to you. Designated campus severe weather areas are located on the TWU Emergency Management Website. Please take a moment to identify shelter areas near your office, classrooms, and/or other areas you frequent.

If it is just rain or it doesn’t look like tornado weather, do we still need to seek shelter? Yes, if a tornado warning is issued, it is absolutely necessary to take shelter. Occasionally, tornadoes develop so rapidly that advance warning is not possible.

If our classroom or lab is a severe weather area, can we continue normal activities? No, even if your area is a severe weather area, you need to stop normal activities. This allows you and students to be prepared for any severe weather that could impact the building. Also, others may be coming to the area you are in for safe shelter.

Is there a link to the emergency preparedness info – syllabus insert? At the beginning of the semester, we asked faculty to read and fill out the emergency preparedness info- syllabus insert. It is never too late to fill that out.

Where can I go for more information?

TWU Emergency Guidebook

TWU Emergency Management Website

Emergency Management: twuready@twu.edu or 940-898-3368