The annual Virginia Statewide Tornado Drill will be held on Tuesday, March 11, at 9:45 a.m. and will include a test for UMW Alerts. The test of UMW Alerts may include text messages, emails, desktop alerts, phone calls and sirens or messages from the area warning system on campus.
Students, faculty and staff are automatically enrolled in UMW Alerts with contact information registered with the University, including UMW email address and cell phone number. The University adds new community members weekly and resets the system with all current community members on the first day of classes for the fall semester. Community members can update their information at any time with more information at https://www.umw.edu/alerts/.
The March 11 exercise is part of Severe Weather Awareness Week, which is designed to refresh, remind and educate everyone about the seasonal threats from severe weather and how to plan and prepare for them. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management partners with the National Weather Service to promote Severe Weather Awareness Week. Each day of the week covers a different topic, including preparedness tips and ways to stay safe during severe weather. More information is available from the National Weather Service at https://www.weather.gov/akq/SevereWeatherAwareness.
In the event of a Tornado Warning:
- Go to a shelter area, such as a basement or the lowest level in the building;
- If there is no basement, go to the center of an interior room on the lowest level (closet, interior hallway) away from corners, windows, doors and outside walls;
- Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside;
- Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck;
- Do not open the windows.
For more information about tornado preparedness, please visit https://students.umw.edu/safety/tornado-and-severe-weather-guide/.
Employees can also access the Virginia State Employee Safety and Disaster Awareness Training, which is offered online through the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
You can access the training at https://covlc.virginia.gov/. Log-in with your username and password (these are separate from Single Sign-On and not the same as you use for other UMW accounts.) Search for Safety and Disaster Awareness Training 2025 to select and start the course.
For more information about University of Mary Washington’s emergency management programs, please visit Emergency Management and Safety online at https://students.umw.edu/safety/emergency-management/ or contact Emergency Management and Safety at 540-654-2108.