Storm Scare

Recent Tornadoes Raise Awareness on Ole Miss Campus

On April 27, 2011, what started out to be a normal day to most, University of Mississippi students and faculty found themselves face to face with a storm threat that could have potentially wreaked havoc across their campus. After seeing the devastation that this storm left around the Mississippi and Alabama area, students have become more cautious about the safety measures to take when a tornado watch or warning arises.

On Wednesday morning, before the storm even hit, dorm residents were not allowed to walk to their classes. Emily Moultrop, a sophomore resident of Crosby Hall, said "There was an older man with a panicked look on his face telling us that he wasn't going to let us go outside and that we needed to go ahead and walk down to the basement. I was so confused because it was just raining outside, and that was all." Minutes later, though, the tornado sirens began to sound and students across campus were ushered into basements and hallways. "Of course, now I am so thankful that we were told to get to safety. I didn't realize how bad it could have been", said Moultrop.

Though Oxford was not hit hard by the tornado, it left students thankful that they took the precautionary steps they, especially after seeing the devastation in Tuscaloosa. "I honestly could not imagine if Oxford got hit as bad as Tuscaloosa did", said Taylor Bilbo, a sophomore at Ole Miss." After seeing what happened to them, I won't take storms lightly anymore and I'll be in a basement as soon as the siren sounds."

A beneficial step Ole Miss takes towards keeping students aware of severe weather is providing "Reb Alerts". They are text messages sent out to student's phones to warn them about severe thunderstorms, tornado watches and warnings. These alerts can be extremely helpful, especially if a student cannot be reached by any other warning.

The recent devastation across the south has caused campus wide awareness among students, making it more evident than ever to be cautious during severe weather. Students are even reaching out by gathering donations for those who have lost everything and going to visit the cities that are in ruins.

Though Ole Miss prides itself in being one of the most safest campus's in the south, no one can ever be too aware of the desolation that storms can cause. Students have now seen firsthand what these storms can do and have every reason to be more aware than ever.