Blizzard Procedures
The following tips are taken from the government's Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website:
Outdoor Safety
When the weather is extremely cold, and especially if there are high winds, try to stay indoors. Make any trips outside as brief as possible, and remember these tips to protect your health and safety.
Dress Warmly and Stay Dry
Adults and children should wear:
- a hat
- a scarf or knit mask to cover face and mouth
- sleeves that are snug at the wrist
- mittens (they are warmer than gloves)
- water-resistant coat and boots
- several layers of loose-fitting clothing
Be sure the outer layer of your clothing is tightly woven, preferably wind resistant, to reduce body-heat loss caused by wind. Wool, silk, or polypropylene inner layers of clothing will hold more body heat than cotton. Stay dry--wet clothing chills the body rapidly. Excess perspiration will increase heat loss, so remove extra layers of clothing whenever you feel too warm. Also, avoid getting gasoline or alcohol on your skin while de-icing and fueling your car or using a snow blower. These materials in contact with the skin greatly increase heat loss from the body. Do not ignore shivering. It's an important first sign that the body is losing heat. Persistent shivering is a signal to return indoors.
Go to http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/guide.asp#outdoor for further information on cold weather safety.
Blizzard Procedures
You look out the window early one winter morning and the quiet blanket of snow that has fallen soft and deep overnight is astounding. Your hibernation instincts tell you to go back to bed, but then you realize you are supposed to be at work in an hour, or your classes begin at 7:30 a.m. You flip on the radio, and realize that many local schools have decided to cancel classes for the day, because of the winter weather. How do you find out if you should bundle up, clear the snow off your car, and head to campus? Or make yourself a cup of hot chocolate and watch the morning show?
The following explains how the decision to cancel classes is made, and where you can get that information in an expedient way.
How the Decision is Made
At 2 a.m. and again at 5 a.m. the Departments of Transportation and Public Safety start conferring. Transportation is responsible for clearing the snow from the parking lots and campus roads. Public Safety sends a vehicle out to personally check the main roads coming into Berrien Springs. Safety also confers with their colleagues in the offices of the State Police, County, Sheriff, and Berrien Springs police, receiving an update on the road conditions in the 36 square miles of Berrien and Oronoko Township. If the roads are clear, the campus roads are plowable, and weather conditions are reasonable, the day proceeds like any other work/school day.
However, if the local roads are impassable, Transportation is not able to keep up with the snow plowing on campus, or there are significant power failures on campus, the director of Public Safety, Dale Hodges, calls the director of Campus Relations, Rebecca May, who confers with President Andreasen, to recommend cancelling classes for the day. The President then makes the final decision and authorizes the Campus Relations director to distribute the information to local TV and radio stations, the school closing hotline, and the University's website.
Please note that the provost, vice presidents and multiple employees of Integrated Marketing & Communication have the appropriate information to make this protocol work even if one of the decision-makers is out of town or unavailable. Hourly workers will be paid for their regular work hours in the event of school closure. It should also be noted that Andrews Academy and Ruth Murdoch Elementary School make their own decisions about closing their schools for weather-related reasons.
The safety of our employees and students is of foremost concern. And, because this is a residential campus, many essential workers may feel compelled to come to campus. Winter weather conditions can change quickly, and road conditions can be dangerous. Please use sound judgment and extreme caution.
We ask for your patience and understanding during these times. Mother Nature can be very capricious, and a clear decision is not always easy.
Where to Get Information
Please do NOT call the Department of Public Safety department. Their lines need to be open to respond to emergencies and assist in other ways. The University's weather hotline will have the most up-to-date information: 471-7660 (listed in the campus information directory, pg. 1, under Emergency Numbers). If weather conditions become serious during regular business hours, an announcement about school closure will be sent via voice mail and broadcast e-mail. Information on cancelled classes will also be posted on the University's website. Additionally, the following TV and radio stations will carry the pertinent information:
TV Stations
WNDU Channel 16
WSBT Channel 22
WSJM Channel 28
Radio Stations
WAUS 90.7 FM
PULSE FM 96.9
WVHQ 92.1 FM/
WDOW 1440 AM
WFRN 104.7 FM
WSPZ AM 940
WSJM AM 1400
WIRX 107.1 FM
WYTZ 97.5 FM
The COAST 94.9 FM
WSPZ 103.7 FM
WCSY COSY 98.3 FM
WSBT AM960
SUNNY 101.5
Oldies 94.3
Cat Country 99.9
For those in our community experiencing winter weather and winter driving for the first time, the following web sites may also be helpful and interesting to you:
Helpful Links
What is Lake Effect snow?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_effect_snow
Winter driving and car care:
http://www.fema.gov/hazard/winter/wi_during.shtm
Winter Feels Good
www.winterfeelsgood.com