UPDATE: Tornado WATCH Canceled

9:21PM UPDATE: Tornado WATCH Canceled

The National Weather Service has canceled the Tornado Watch at 9:15PM CT.

WACO, Texas (June 15, 2023) – The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado WATCH for Central Texas, including Waco and McLennan County, effective until 10:00 p.m. CDT tonight (Thursday, June 15, 2023).

A Tornado WATCH means that tornadoes – along with damaging winds and hail – are possible in and near the watch area.

Be Weather Ready:

As you remain aware of today’s severe weather possibility, we ask that you please review and discuss your emergency plans. Baylor’s tornado safety procedure guide is available here.

Actions to take now include:

• Check supplies, make sure your phone is charged and check the safe space in your home, apartment or residence hall.
• If you live in a Baylor residence hall, make sure you know where your Severe Weather Assembly Area is in your hall. These areas are identified on Building Emergency Plan maps throughout each building and also available via an online map.
• Be ready to act quickly if a warning is issued or you suspect a tornado is approaching.

If a Tornado WARNING is issued:

There are multiple ways the City of Waco, McLennan County and Baylor University alert their respective communities in the event of a tornado and the actions to take:

• Tornado Sirens: The City of Waco-McLennan County Office of Emergency Management operates a network of sirens located throughout city and county. Baylor University also operates its outdoor notification system, including sirens on its campus. The sirens are activated during a tornado warning or if a tornado is imminent.
• Baylor Alert: Baylor also will activate its multi-tiered Baylor Alert emergency notification system, which includes emergency email and text messages, audio message to a cellphone or other telephone, outdoor/indoor notification systems on campus, Baylor’s main website and official Baylor social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
• Local media, weather radios and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA).

Safety Procedures:

Indoors

• Seek shelter immediately on a ground floor, in an interior room.
  • Severe Weather Assembly Areas in each Baylor Waco campus building are identified on Building Emergency Plan maps throughout each building and available via an online map.
• Do not use elevators.
• Stay away from windows, doors and outside walls.
• Avoid wide-span roof areas such as auditorium, gymnasium, dining hall and large hallways.

Residence Halls

• Residence Hall Directors and available staff will gather all residents to the Severe Weather Assembly Areas (identified on Building Emergency Plan maps throughout the facility).
• Residents should bring blankets for protection from debris.
• Remain in the Severe Weather Assembly Areas until the tornado passes, and an All Clear is issued via Baylor Alert.

Outdoors

• Seek indoor shelter, if possible.
• Parked motor vehicles are unsafe.
• If indoor shelter is not available and there is not time for escape, lie flat in a ditch or low spot.
• If you are on a flat ground and are caught in the path of a tornado, always move at right angles to its path.

Individuals with mobility/impairments or physical disabilities:

Supervisory personnel and course instructors are responsible for identifying and escorting individuals with mobility impairments or physical disabilities located in their offices/facilities or classrooms to safety in the event of a tornado warning.

The elevators may be used to transport individuals with mobility impairments or physical disabilities and their escorts to a safer location. Visually impaired and hearing-impaired individuals may be escorted down the stairs but may require assistance in moving in crowded staircases and in finding a safer location.

In the event of a power failure, individuals who are unable to use the stairs and their escorts should move to an interior location without windows and call the Baylor University Police Department (254-710-2222) who will notify the appropriate emergency personnel with the location.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

The Baylor University Department of Public Safety serves as an umbrella department for the Baylor University Police Department, emergency management and fire safety, global safety and security, technical security and parking and transportation. The DPS is set on providing students, faculty and alumni with excellent security and safety through instant notification systems, extensive surveillance cameras and highly trained staff.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.