SEMO STUDIES TORNADO SIRENS FOR CAMPUS; SYSTEM COULD WARN OF OTHER DANGEROUS EVENTS

Southeast Missouri State University may install tornado warning sirens on campus.

The sirens also could be used as loud speakers to alert students, staff and others on campus about emergencies such as chemical spills or fires, officials said.

Southeast plans to bring in a consultant to do a feasibility study this summer. Sirens could be installed later this year, said Dr. Pauline Fox, vice president of administration and enrollment management.

Fox said more than one siren would be needed because of the campus' hilly terrain.

Doug Richards, Southeast public safety director, estimated three to six sirens would be needed on the main campus in Cape Girardeau.

The university currently isn't looking at installing sirens at the proposed River Campus arts school, which would be in another section of the city.

University officials estimate it could cost $120,000 to purchase and install the sirens, and pay for the consultant.

"In my opinion, it is a totally realistic figure," said Richards. "At this point it is on the high end."

The university would fund the project.

Fox said the university plans to hire a consultant to determine if warning sirens are feasible for the campus. "We may find it is not a feasible thing to do after all," she said.

Southeast and the city of Cape Girardeau currently have no tornado warning sirens.

The city installed a dozen warning sirens in 1980 at a cost of $110,000. But the city council soon voted to remove them after tests showed the sirens couldn't be heard in some areas of town because of the hilly terrain.

In December 1980, the council rejected plans to install a new warning system involving 20 sirens at a cost of $256,000. Council members said it was too costly.

When a deadly tornado swept through Marion, Ill., in May 1982, the issue resurfaced. But again Cape Girardeau city officials rejected the idea.

Mayor Al Spradling III said the city currently has no plans to install warning sirens.

But university officials believe warning sirens would benefit the campus. Richards said the university administration is committed to improving emergency preparedness on campus.

Warning sirens would be just one part of emergency preparedness for the school, he said. Last December the university went through a table-top exercise dealing with a tornado scenario.

Richards said warning sirens at the university could be more feasible than a citywide system because they would cover a much smaller geographical area.

The sirens would be activated by Southeast's Department of Public Safety dispatchers. In the case of a tornado, Richards said the sirens would be activated based on information from the National Weather Service and the Cape Girardeau County emergency preparedness office.

Being able to use the sirens as loud speakers also would help in the event of chemical spills or other disasters, said Richards.

Getting emergency information disseminated quickly to the campus community is difficult, he said. A warning siren-speaker system could help, he said.

Richards said a university committee this spring has been exploring the feasibility of warning sirens. The committee has looked at Chaffee's emergency warning system. The city has two sirens.

Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield has had warning sirens for years. Southwest has three tornado warning sirens. Unlike what Southeast wants, Southwest's sirens can't be used as loud speakers.

The sirens are designed to warn people who are outside.

"The sirens are not for the purpose of warning people inside buildings," said Michael Batchelder, director of safety and transportation at Southwest Missouri State. "If they hear them inside, that is great."

Southwest is situated in a city with plenty of warning sirens. Springfield has 51 sirens and is planning to install 28 more, said Batchelder.

Southwest and the city of Springfield test their tornado sirens once a month.

When there are tornado warnings, the sirens have been activated. Within the last year, sirens were activated when the area was hit by damaging, high winds.

But mostly, the sirens are used when tornados have been spotted in the area, Batchelder said.

"We are kind of in the path of the tornadoes," he said.

Tornadoes have hit parts of Springfield in the past. "Fortunately, we haven't had one come through the campus," he said. "I hope to heck it never happens."

Southeast's Richards shares that sentiment. But he isn't willing to ignore the possibility.

On May 21, 1949, a tornado tore through Cape Girardeau, killing 22 people and injuring hundreds. It leveled 202 houses and damaged another 231. Nineteen businesses were destroyed and 14 others damaged.

The tornado skirted the university campus. But the campus has expanded since then. A tornado traveling a similar path today would tear up the north end of campus. Dempster Hall and the Show Me Center would be among the buildings in its path.

Warning sirens could prove valuable, said Richards. "Our goal is to be prepared and plan for the worst-case scenario."