Recent significant tornadoes that impacted schools in Enterprise, Alabama and Pearl, Mississippi have led to a re-examination of school severe weather safety procedures. This presentation will outline procedures that will serve as a guide for schools and students to better prepare themselves for severe weather.

Specifically, 15 procedures have been identified to assist school administrators in preparing for high risk severe weather days, tornado watches, and severe weather warnings being issued. These procedures have been included in a color brochure that is part of an Alabama statewide school education and preparedness plan. This initiative has been recently adopted by the state of Alabama board of education, Alabama emergency management and the Alabama Attorney General's office. The brochure will be distributed to all schools in Alabama to ensure that the necessary safety rules and procedures will be followed.

The objective of this project is to share this severe weather safety plan with other school districts across the country. The combination of severe weather education, outreach, and improved preparedness will hopefully result in schools administrators developing more comprehensive severe weather safety plans. We hope that better preparation will result in a reduction in deaths and injuries during future severe weather events.