(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – The University of Central Missouri is scheduled to participate in the statewide tornado drill at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 4.

The drill will last about 15 minutes, and will take place at the same time other drills are being conducted in communities across the state, including Warrensburg, according to a news release. As the event begins, warnings will be issued via sirens, building public address systems, and Textcaster, the university’s emergency text message service, to alert the UCM community.

All UCM students, employees, and administrators are encouraged to participate in the event by taking the same precautions they would employ during a real tornado emergency. Faculty members are asked to temporarily dismiss class and help guide their students toward the lowest possible level of the building.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind in any tornado emergency:

• Go to the lowest level of the building, preferable a basement or low-level interior hallway.
• Avoid glass and open areas where you could be injured by flying debris.
• Avoid auditoriums, gymnasiums, cafeterias or other types of large open areas, with free-spanning roofs.
• If outdoors and there is no time to escape, lie flat in the nearest depression (such as a ditch or ravine).
• Be aware that heavy rains may flood excavation areas, ditches or ravines.

The statewide tornado drill is being coordinated by the State Emergency Management Agency. To learn more about storm preparedness, visit SEMA’s website at stormaware.mo.gov/ or go to fema.gov.