​There are two types of severe weather alerts:

Watch: A watch is a public notification that weather conditions exist that could lead to a warning.

Warning: A warning is an alert by the National Weather Service confirming an actual event that is occurring, giving time, location, speed and direction of movement.

If severe weather is imminent:

  • Remain calm. Do not exit the building.
  • Notify people in your area to quickly get away from the perimeter of the building and exterior glass.
  • Proceed to one of the marked Safer Zone areas (areas that most closely meet NOAA guidelines for severe weather) and close the door to prevent injury from flying debris.

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) Weather Warnings Sent to Your Smart Phone:

Students and employees who own the newer smart phones are set up to receive WEA messages (unless the person has changed the phone’s settings). These messages include severe and/or extreme weather alerts. Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) are emergency messages sent by government authorities through your mobile carrier. The weather warnings come from the National Weather Service (NWS).

If you receive a weather message telling you to “take shelter,” then do so and inform those near you. Be aware that District Central Dispatch, police officers and emergency management personnel receive warnings from the NWS roughly the same time as you receive the WEA messages. It will take a short period of time for the district to re-broadcast the message in its notification systems.

The district’s notification systems also may be affected by power outages or system failures, so always follow the instructions from a reliable source such as WEA.

Inclement Weather

In the event there is a question as to whether we will be closed due to inclement weather, the following options are available:

  • College/district websites
  • College/district social media
  • News stations
  • Signing up for the district’s notification services in your eConnect account