Category Archives: Drills

Drills, Natural Disasters, Preparedness, Training

Virginia Statewide Tornado Drill March 17th at 9:45 am

The annual Statewide Tornado Drill is scheduled for 9:45am on Tuesday, March 17th.  NOVA’s faculty, satff, and students who are on campuses or in one of the College’s off-campus locations will once again be participating in this mandatory Statewide Drill. 

Tornados can happen anytime, anywhere, with little or no warning. Knowing what to do when seconds count can save lives.  Below is some information from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s website on the difference between a tornado watch and warning as well as signs of an impending tornado. 

Watches and Warnings
Learn the terms that are used to identify a tornado. 

  • Tornado Watch:   a tornado is possible in your area.  You should monitor weather-alert radios and local radio and TV stations for information. 
  • Tornado Warning:  a tornado has been sighted in the area or has been indicated by National Weather Service Doppler radar. When a warning is issued, take cover immediately. 

Know the Signs

  • Strong, persistent rotation in the base of a cloud
  • Whirling dust or debris on the ground under a cloud base – tornadoes sometimes have no visible funnel
  • Hail or heavy rain followed by dead calm or a fast, intense wind shift. Many tornadoes, especially in Virginia, are wrapped in heavy precipitation and can’t be seen.
  • Loud, continuous roar or rumble, which doesn’t fade in a few seconds like thunder does
  • If it’s night, look for small, bright, blue-green to white flashes at ground level (as opposed to silvery lightning up in the clouds).  These lights are power lines being snapped by very strong wind, perhaps a tornado.
  • Persistent lowering of the cloud base  
Drills, Preparedness, Training

NOVA will take part in the Great SouthEast ShakeOut Regional Earthquake Drill on 10/16

On Thursday, October 16th at 10:16 AM, NOVA will participate in The Great SouthEast ShakeOut Regional Earthquake Drill.

What do I do?

An announcement will be made on the campuses and off-site locations at 10:16 AM using the intercom telephone system to start the drill.  Once the announcement is made, you should DROP, COVER, and HOLD ON!

The Timeline will be as follows:

10:16   An announcement will be made that the drill is starting. “This is the start of the Regional Earthquake drill, please drop, cover, and hold on!”  At this time, you should drop to the ground, take cover under a table or sturdy desk, and hold on to it until the shaking stops.

10:21   An announcement will be made that the earthquake is over.  “The earthquake is over, please evacuate your buildings.”  At this time, evacuate the building and report to your assembly point.  *Persons with disabilities should seek assistance in evacuations.

10:35   No announcement will be made, but the drill has officially concluded.  You should re-enter your building and go back to your office or continue class as scheduled.

Note* Mobility Challenged Individuals are encouraged to do the following:

If you are in a wheelchair: Lock your wheels and remain seated until the shaking stops.  Always protect your head and neck with your arms, a pillow, book, or whatever may be available.

  • Practice your individual emergency evacuation plan during the evacuation phase of this drill.
  • Relocate to an Area of Assistance (if you are on a floor that does not exit directly outdoors) and wait there until the drill is complete.
  • Please refer to the Emergency Action Plan for more information
Drills, Preparedness

Emergency Notification Systems Test scheduled for 10/10

The College has scheduled a test of the Emergency Notification Systems for this Friday, October 10th beginning at 9:30 am for the campuses and off-site centers.  The systems that we will be testing are listed below.

 •              NOVA desktop computer alerts (pop-up messages for networked computers only)

•              Digital signage (flat panels)

•              Automated and live broadcasts to all College phones

 The message that you will either hear or see will be, “This is a test of the NOVA Emergency Notification System. This is only a Test.”

  *Please note that the NOVA Alert text messaging system will NOT  be tested at this time, so you should NOT receive a “Test” message on October 10th  if you are registered on the NOVA Alert text messaging system.

Drills, Preparedness

Virginia Statewide Tornado Drill on March 11th

The annual Statewide Tornado Drill is scheduled for 9:45am on Tuesday, March 11, 2014.  NOVA will once again be participating in this mandatory Statewide Drill.  While we realize that March 11th falls during spring break and many of you will away from the campuses, those who remain on campus will be required to participate. 

Tornados can happen anytime, anywhere, with little or no warning. Knowing what to do when seconds count can save lives.  Below is some information from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s website on the difference between a tornado watch and warning as well as signs of an impending tornado. 

Watches and Warnings
Learn the terms that are used to identify a tornado. 

  • Tornado Watch:   a tornado is possible in your area.  You should monitor weather-alert radios and local radio and TV stations for information. 
  • Tornado Warning:  a tornado has been sighted in the area or has been indicated by National Weather Service Doppler radar. When a warning is issued, take cover immediately. 

Know the Signs

  • Strong, persistent rotation in the base of a cloud
  • Whirling dust or debris on the ground under a cloud base – tornadoes sometimes have no visible funnel
  • Hail or heavy rain followed by dead calm or a fast, intense wind shift. Many tornadoes, especially in Virginia, are wrapped in heavy precipitation and can’t be seen.
  • Loud, continuous roar or rumble, which doesn’t fade in a few seconds like thunder does
  • If it’s night, look for small, bright, blue-green to white flashes at ground level (as opposed to silvery lightning up in the clouds).  These lights are power lines being snapped by very strong wind, perhaps a tornado.
  • Persistent lowering of the cloud base  

 

Drills, Preparedness, Training

OEMP will be testing the College’s Emergency Notification Systems on October 10th

Faculty and staff:

NOVA has scheduled a test of the Emergency Notification Systems for October 10, 2013 beginning at 9:00am.   The systems that the College will be testing are:

•              NOVA desktop computer alerts (pop-up messages for networked computers only)

•              Digital signage (flat panels)

•              Automated and live broadcasts to all College phones

The message that you will either hear or see will be, “Test of the NOVA Emergency Notification System. This is only a Test”

*Please note that NOVA Alert text messaging system will NOT  be tested at this time, so you should NOT receive a “Test” message on October 10th  if you are registered on the NOVA Alert text messaging system.

You will be receiving an email with more details of how you can assist OEMP to make this a successful test.  Please feel free to contact oemp@nvcc.edu if you have any questions.