Students gather in the basement of Snelling Dining Hall on Tuesday as the tornado warning was issued.

Students gather in the basement of Snelling Tuesday for lunch when the tornado warning was issued. Students stayed for about a half an hour while bonding over packaged food.

Alert systems rang soundly

Texts keep students safe

By: BRITTANY BINOWSKI and CAROLYN CRIST

Posted: 8/27/08

Systems flowed as planned Tuesday when the University's tornado alarm system sounded around 2:10 p.m.

"We got the alert and stopped operations for 15 to 20 minutes," said Ron Hamlin, Campus Transit manager. "We instructed drivers to evacuate buses and get everyone into a safe location. We shut everything down as quickly as we can."

Jesse Conway, a junior from Dalton, was in class when the warning sounded.

"I was in a classroom and my class got canceled because we were supposed to go outside."

In other buildings, many professors continued to teach.

Jona Ogden, a junior from Augusta, said there was "no panic" and the situation was "handled calmly" when she was moved with others from Oglethorpe Dining Commons to the basement of Oglethorpe House.

"I was there 25 minutes until it was announced clear," she said. "I received a text and phone call about 10 minutes after I was sent to the basement. Other phones got it before mine."

Across campus, students in the Student Learning Center, Snelling Dining Hall and Park Hall were evacuated to the lowest floors.

Maria Kelly, a sophomore from Conyers, was at Snelling Dining Hall when students were moved.

"We were all rushed to the basement where we stayed for about a half an hour while bonding over packaged food," she said.

UGAAlert, the University's main emergency communication tool, sent batches of announcements to students.

The first text messages warned students to take shelter at 2:18 p.m., with phone calls three minutes later and an e-mail message after another three minutes.

The warning was discontinued at 2:34 p.m. through text message, and all-clear messages were sent by phone at 2:39 p.m. and e-mail at 3:13 p.m.

The alarm sounded across campus when a weather cell located over southwest Oconee County tightened rotation.

"A broad and weak circulation tightened up real quick," said Mike Griesinger, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City.

The UGAAlert system coincides with a bill President George W. Bush signed into law before classes started.

The law requires all colleges to "immediately notify" students and staff of major emergencies on campus.

"I think we're out on the cutting edge," said Tom Jackson, vice president for public affairs. "When Virginia Tech happened and everyone was asking, we already had our own way."

UGAAlert notifies all students, faculty and staff about a campus-wide emergency.

"Basically, it is our mechanism for alerting campus via e-mail, cell phone, or land line phone of any major campus emergency that is life-threatening or impacts life," said Steve Harris, director of the Office of Security and Emergency Preparedness.

Students are automatically entered into the system when they enter the University and create a MyID e-mail and password. Students may modify their account to select which method of communication - e-mail, cell phone or land line phone - is best to reach them.

Harris said the emergency alert system will not be used if an incident is isolated.

The University also offers Arch News for informational purposes and to communicate non-urgent messages to students such as a water pipe break on campus, Harris said.

- Tamara Best, Mercedes Parham, David White contributing