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What To Do When There’s a Tornado Warning

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Wash U chapter.

On September 1st, Wash U was treated to the first tornado warning of the year. If you missed it (but, really, how could you?) don’t worry, as we’ve got an entire year for crazy Midwestern weather. Read on for some tips for what to do next time those sirens blast.

Do: Know the difference between a tornado warning and watch, because one involves you getting out of bed, and one doesn’t.

Don’t: Forget to check your email and make sure you’ve received the 15 messages from WUSTL Alerts, you know, just in case the sirens weren’t loud enough.

Do: Listen to your RA and go to the lowest level… unless, of course you’re in the middle of a Netflix marathon. In that case, carry on.

Don’t: Sit in the middle of the hallway on the ground floor. There’s a good chance you’ll be trampled by the dozens of students who don’t have the luxury of having a hall that doubles as a tornado shelter.

Do: Take as many snapchats as possible to alert your non Wash-U friends that you’re about to be blown to Oz like Dorothy.

Don’t: Look for a tornado emoji. They sadly don’t exist.

Do: Go on Yik Yak and check out everyone else’s complaints/jokes to pass the time until you’re free to resume your regular activities.

Don’t: Stop doing homework. This is Wash U, after all

Gabi Stone is a sophomore at Washington University in St. Louis, a short 9-hour drive away from her hometown of Detroit, Michigan. She enjoys solo grocery shops at Whole Foods, Saturday Night Live reruns, and checking things off of lists.
Sydney Davis is a senior at Washington University in St. Louis majoring in Film & Media Studies and minoring in Writing. She loves running, exploring new cities, fashion, boating, and most importantly, Whole Foods.