Oakland University has installed a tornado siren on the roof of Varner Hall, which is activated for tornado warnings. The National Weather Service and the Oakland County Division of Emergency Response and Preparedness are the only agencies authorized to activate the siren. The Varner Hall siren is activated only after a funnel cloud has been sighted, or strongly indicated by radar, in or near Oakland County. The siren is routinely tested at 1 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month during tornado season.

In addition to the siren activation, OUPD has the capability to contact a select group of faculty and staff members who have been given guidelines to follow for purposes of alerting others in the event of a severe weather/tornado warning. An alert will also be sent to ranking officials, including all members of the Crisis Management Team.

Following a tornado warning alert, individuals should take shelter in:

• the first floor or basement of a multi-story building (if time permits safe access)
• individual floor shelter areas as designated by the tornado shelter positions (found on every floor of every building)

Tornado warnings generally last 30 to 45 minutes, but they can be extended per weather conditions. Once a tornado warning has been terminated, individuals should exit their shelters as follows:

• On weekdays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., OUPD will transmit an "all clear" message to designated officials. Employees designated to receive such messages should wait at least 30 minutes before leaving a shelter area to check for the "all clear" message. Upon receiving such a message, the designated employees should then assume the responsibility of personally informing those in shelter areas that the warning has been terminated. Generally, individuals should wait in the shelter areas until direct notification has occurred. The normal schedule for the remainder of the day resumes when the warning has ended, as tornado warnings do not necessarily constitute a university closing or cancellation of classes.
• After 5 p.m. and on weekends, when employees are not available to deliver the "all clear" message, those waiting in shelters should remain there for at least 30 minutes. At that time, if conditions appear to be safe, individuals may exit the shelter.

Tornado Watches
A tornado watch is issued by radio or television whenever weather conditions are favorable for a tornado to develop. The tornado siren is not activated for a watch. In the event of a tornado watch, the skies should be monitored closely for changing weather conditions. Patrolling police personnel and other campus personnel are notified of tornado watches by OUPD dispatch.

Notifications
Campus offices that receive direct notifications of tornado watches and warnings include:

• University Housing (administration during normal business hours; duty staff after hours)
• President's Office
• Facilities Management - Work Control
• Golf Course
• Athletics
• Lowry Center
• John Dodge House

In addition, the following receive notifications during warnings:

• Central Heating Plant
• Meadow Brook Hall
• OUPD Chief of Police
• OUPD Operations Lieutenant