If your school did them, how were they indicated? My schools would use a sort of tone over the intercom.
In high school, they intended to ring the fire alarm since a majority of the school was voice-evac and they would be able to do a severe weather message. I think that they realized it would be a bad idea, especially since t-buildings and 2 academic buildings had horn/strobes. They announced it.
The past two years that we did them at my old school, they would announce it as well. No bells, sirens or alarms.
Pre-K at First Elementary School
I think it was a LONG 1250 HZ Sine Wave Tone (it could’ve been pulsulated though). We took shelter in the teacher’s office. All clear was an announcement over the PA System.
Pre-K at Second Elementary School (1999)
I think it might’ve been some sort of tone. We took shelter in the coral room. All clear was (once again) an announcement over the PA System.
Kindergarten and 1st Grade at First Elementary School
Announcement over PA System. Depending on location of room, we took shelter either in a enclosed hallway or under desks. All clear was announcement over PA System.
2nd-5th Grades at Third Elementary School
Announcement over PA System. Depending on building we were in, we took shelter either in the cubby area, closet, restroom, or interior room away from windows. Classes in portables were relocated to certain rooms or if no time permits, they were relocated to the multipurpose room (which is a suitible tornado shelter area, but it makes no sense). All clear was an announcement over PA System.
Middle School
Again, announcement over PA System. Classes in buildings 3, 4, & 6 would relocate to the hallway. Classes in all other buildings would relocate to a small interior closet or windowless room. People in cafetorium relocated to stage area. All clear was announcement over PA System.
High School
Announcement over PA System. Depending on classroom you are in, we would relocate either to a designated hallway or get against the interior wall. Portables were relocated to different rooms. All clear is either ringing of warning bell and/or an announcement over PA System.
Security Code for severe weather in my school district is CODE GREEN.
All schools that I have attended–except Riley–ring 10 short bells for tornado drills (Stevenson does this in a series). Riley, for some reason, used 10 short blasts from a megaphone while I was there. All-clear signals are a long ringing of the bells.
Our district never had tornado drills, although I think we should, as we almost got hit twice…
^I agree with that. I look at the tornadoes we had in MA last year on more than one occasion and it serves as a reminder that we may not live in Kansas, but tornadoes are entirely possible.
No tornadoes where I live…
Maybe not in your particular town, but Maine has had it’s fair share.
Van Buren Elementary - Janesville, WI, Ca. 1985: Siren sound played over PA system.
Austin High School pre-remodel: No sound, announcement only.
Ellis Middle School: 750/500 Hz Hi-Lo, each tone lasts for half of a second.
Austin High School Post-remodel: Siren tone.
Riverland Community College: 825 Hz rapid stutter. A sound file of an identical tone is on the other forums in the Your School Bell topic, page 3.
Several schools have a 2001 on-premises so they probably use that, and maybe back that up with some kind of alarm also.
My school doesn’t do tornado drills, and in fact, I don’t think we’re even doing lockdown drills, We haven’t had once since last year, first semester. The only drills we do is fire drills, 6 a year. Only the country schools in my school board do tornado and lockdown drills.
our school has whoop over the PA. the first time i had one i thought it was a real lockdown :!:
We had hurricane drills at my elementary school in Jacksonville, Florida once a school year.
Never had any tornado drills but then again I never really heard of any tornado happening in Rhode Island.
Don’t jinx it! :shock: Today (May 21) a powerful band of severe thunderstorms is coming our way…
…with tornado watches in effect in the west. 
Tornado drill ideally should be done all over the United States. Tornadoes can strike anywhere. It is true that there are states are more likely to have a tornado than others, but tornadoes can occur all over the country.
[sarcasm]Great![/sarcasm]
I live too close to the ocean, a tornado would be catastrophic. To make it even worse, our driveways go upward because our houses are built on small hills because of floods from hurricanes. We also have no basement (because of the aquifer). I am not aware of any community shelter. I am just hoping that there won’t be any kind of tornado around here soon…
I feel very bad for those affected in the Texas hurricane, though. It seemed just like the other day there was hurricane Sandy, and now there is this. This is not what we need in a poor economy like ours.
you dont have to worry about tornados you have to worry about hurracanes
Hurricanes aren’t nearly as bad, but if one were to make it’s way over here, we would all be screwed.
The hurricanes haven’t been bad lately, but some street drains would be nice, lol!
living near a large body of water and no street drains wow lol
I’m thinking the same thing. We also don’t even have sidewalks (except on the main streets). Whenever it rains hard, the end of my street floods ankle deep (I know because I had to walk through it after getting off of the school bus).