By: Diamond Jenkins & De’Arbreya Lee
Staff Writers
Jackson State University has received StormReady designation from the National Weather Service. In a press conference held in Johnson Hall Tuesday, JSU became the third university in Mississippi to receive this recognition.
According to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, StormReady is a nationwide program of the Weather Service that aids local communities and helps them protect their citizens from severe storms. It also encourages communities to take an approach that is proactive to improve hazardous weather operations.
“This StormReady designation shows that Jackson State University takes the safety of their students, faculty and staff very seriously,” said MEMA director Michael Womack. “They should be proud of this accomplishment and I hope more colleges and universities take their lead and work toward becoming StormReady.”
The university met the following criteria to receive the designation:
• Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center
• Have multiple ways to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and to alert the public
• Create a system that monitors weather conditions locally
• Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars
• Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises
Some freshmen JSU students expressed surprise with the designation because they did not feel students were properly informed about emergency procedures.
“They haven’t told us what to do. It’s common sense that disasters are going to come up. They (the University) should have something immediately, because you never know when something is going to happen,” said Victoria Norwood, a freshman elementary education major from Jackson, Miss.
Chastity Curry agreed.
“They haven’t really sat down and told us, to me it’s been instinct. It’s confusing,” said the freshman elementary education major from Atwood, Tenn.
Taylor Johnson, newly elected Miss Freshman, disagrees with Norwood and Curry and said information has been given on emergency preparation.
“During freshmen orientation week the university gave us information but there weren’t enough people there. It was very informative,” said Johnson an Atlanta, Ga. native majoring in mass communications.
When asked about how students are to take precautions for severe storms, like this past weekend’s torrential rains from Tropical Storm Lee, Johnson stated that all students would be given booklets which include specific safety guidelines.
