A tornado watch or severe thunderstorm warning means that the storms may produce large hail and/or damaging winds. All severe thunderstorms are potential tornado producers, but a severe thunderstorm watch does not mean that a tornado is imminent.
A tornado or severe thunderstorm warning means that a tornado or thunderstorm is imminent or has been sighted.
The campus community will be notified of a warning by the tornado siren located west of the Fieldhouse and by a Public Safety Services officer, who will drive through the campus and advise those who are walking or driving to seek cover.
A safety contact person has been designated for each building and they will be contacted if a watch or a warning was issued. They will direct all those within the building to move to an assigned safe area. Building occupants should move away from all windows or glass-enclosed areas immediately.
The safest area is the center of the building as close to the basement or ground floor as possible. When the warning ends, everyone on campus will be notified and normal university activities will resume.
The following areas are recommended as the gathering areas in each building. If the locations listed do not provide enough space, direct people to a lower-level room with interior walls and without windows:
Allendale Campus
- Alumni House: basement
- AuSable Hall: corridors C-105 and C-108, room 1152
- Calder Art Center: all restrooms, rooms 1214, 1313, 1504, 1510, 1715, 1811, 1815
- Calder Living Center: main level hallways, away from windows
- Campus Health Center: restrooms
- Central Utilities Building: basement, northwest corner or tunnel
- Children’s Center: restrooms
- Commons: restrooms, room 100
- Cook-DeWitt Center: restrooms, storage room
- Fieldhouse : lower two floors (excluding arena and recreation center)
- Frey Living Center: first floor hallway, away from windows
- Grand Valley Apartments: laundry rooms and lower level of building, away from windows
- Henry Hall: first floor LTT lecture halls, restrooms; second floor, corridors and interior rooms; third floor, restrooms
- Hills Living Center: first floor hallway, away from windows
- Instructional Tech Bldg.: move to Central Utilities Building
- Kirkhof Center: lowest floor west side/hallway/theater area
- Kleiner Commons: restrooms, storage room east side of building
- Lake Huron Hall: first floor corridors, lecture rooms
- Lake Michigan Hall: basement, first floor lecture rooms
- Lake Ontario Hall: all restrooms and rooms 164. 168, 174 and 178
- Lake Superior Hall: basement, first floor lecture rooms
- Laker Village: storage room under stairs
- Laker Village Community Buildings: restrooms
- Living Centers I, II, III, IV: lower level restrooms
- Mackinac Hall: first floor classrooms without windows or move to tunnel from NW stairs
- Mackinac Hall Addition: lower level restrooms
- Manitou Hall: first floor lecture rooms, restrooms, central hall between lecture/class rooms, basement
- Meadows Clubhouse: women’s locker room, hall in front of locker rooms, basement
- Meadows Learning Center: go to Meadows Clubhouse, if possible, or restroom
- Meadows Maintenance Building: locker room and restroom
- Movement Science Building: men’s and women’s locker room
- Murray Living Center: restrooms
- North A and B Living Center: lower level restrooms
- North C Living Center: first floor hallway, away from windows
- Niemeyer Living Center/Honors College: public restrooms (rooms 109/110 and 209/210)
- Niemeyer Living Center: Honors housing bathrooms
- Padnos Hall: first and second floors, any room without windows; third floor, NE stairwell to lowest level, SW stairwell to basement
- Papa Johns Pizza: restrooms
- Performing Arts Center: rooms 1210, 1206, restrooms, hallway east side of LAT, hallway by rooms 1228, 1211, 1127, 1407, 1500, 1510, 1501
- Ravine Apartments: first floor restrooms or kitchen areas
- Ravine Center: room behind information desk, restrooms
- Residence Halls: first, second floor corridors
- Seidman House: restrooms on lower level
- Service Building: Skunkworks, conference room F
- South B Living Center: restrooms
- Student Services Building: any restroom
- Admissions: corridor (CC304) by emergency stairs
- Second floor south side: emergency stairs, CS4
- Career Services: rooms C266-C270
- Counseling Center: corridor (CC205) by emergency stairs
- Records: room C147
- Housing: corridor (CC102) by emergency stairs
- International Affairs, Financial Aid and Student Employment: corridor (CC101) south of fire doors (this door must be closed)
- University Guest Condo: lower level
- West A and B Living Centers: lower level restrooms
- Zumberge Library: lower floor corridors
Pew Campus
- College of Education Building (632 Fulton St.): restrooms
- Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences: first floor, rooms 113, 115, hallways C-104 and C-106; second floor, rooms 209, 221, 223, 233, hallways C-204 and C-206
- Depot: restrooms
- DeVos Center: building A and B, first floor, rooms 127A, 125A, all restrooms; second floor, go to first floor, 127A, 125A, all restrooms
- Building C: first floor, NE stairwells, receiving area, room 126C; second floor, W and E stairwells, W and E restrooms, rooms 215C, 217C; third floor, W and E stairwells, W and E restrooms, rooms 313C, 315C; fourth floor, W and E stairwells, W and E restrooms, rooms 410C, 415C, 416C, 421C; fifth floor, rooms 510C, 511C
- Building D and E: first floor, restrooms, rooms 117E, 119E, 136E, 138E, 122E; second floor, restrooms, rooms 205E, 207E, 223E; third floor restrooms, rooms 305E, 307E, 323E
- Eberhard Center: first floor, hallways of WGVU-TV; second floor, room 215; third floor, rooms 312, 313, 314, 315; fourth floor, rooms 410, 416, 417, 418, 419; fifth floor, room 512; sixth floor, room 613; seventh floor, rooms 718; eighth floor, move to first floor hallway of WGVU-TV; ninth floor rooms 902, 903
- Keller Engineering Building: restrooms
- Kennedy Hall of Engineering: rooms 122 124, 135
- Secchia Hall: restrooms
- Winter Hall: restrooms
- Family Health Center: interior exam rooms
• Lake Michigan Center, Muskegon : men’s and women’s restrooms, first floor
• MAREC : men’s restroom, first floor
• Meijer Campus at Holland : rooms 133, 139, 141, and restrooms
