Tornado
The most important thing to remember when a tornado warning occurs is to remain calm.
Remember these terms and know the difference:
- A Tornado Watch simply means conditions are right for tornadoes to develop.
- A Tornado Warning means an actual tornado has been sighted.
We will issue a "Take Shelter Alert" ONLY when there is a Tornado Warning issued by the private weather-monitoring company, AccuWeather, rather than the entire city or county. AccuWeather gives tornado information for the main campus and Tennessee-Miller Coliseum only. This service has reduced the number of false alarms and the need for people to go to their safe place unnecessarily.
"In Case of Tornado" Printable
Recommended Tornado Shelter Locations
While the locations listed below meet the recommended criteria for tornado areas of refuge according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's guidelines, MTSU does not guarantee the safety of any building occupant in the event of a tornado.
Use the search box to more easily find your building.
Building | Shelter Location |
---|---|
114 East Lytle Street Lytle House |
Interior Bathroom Space or Move to Middle Tennessee Building |
1417 East Main Annex/Soils Lab | Ground Floor Interior Corridors |
211 College Heights | Interior Bathrooms |
Alumni House | Basement |
Alumni Memorial Gym | Basement Corridor, Room 115 |
Alumni Office | Alumni House Basement (Use Inside Bathroom as a last resort only. Protect head and eyes from broken window glass.) |
Art Barn Annex | Central Corridor |
Baseball Clubhouse and Indoor Training Facility |
Interior Bathrooms |
Bayer-Travis Maintenance Complex | Shop Bathroom Areas or Interior Offices |
Beasley Hall | Ground Floor Corridor |
Black House, 1417 East Main St. | University Police |
Blue Warehouse (Distribution Services) | Telecommunications Bldg, ground floor away from windows |
Boutwell Dramatic Arts | FIRST FLOOR BDA The first-floor classrooms on the north end of hallway should move into hallway and move toward north end and work back. The first-floor classrooms on the south end should go into the Studio Theatre (Room 101). SECOND FLOOR BDA The people in the north end of the second floor on the Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic side should proceed south, collecting clients, parents, siblings, staff and all, go down south-side stairs and into Dressing Room 106. The people in Classrooms 214, 216 and 218 should go down south-side stairs and go into Studio Theatre (Room 101). THIRD FLOOR BDA The labs and offices and classrooms 305, 307 and 309 should go down north-side stairs to first-floor corridor. The others on third floor south side should go down stairs to Studio Theatre (Room 101). |
Business and Aerospace Building | All floors, interior east and west hallways directly outside of classroom and office doors. Keep away from glass in lobby areas. Groups in the State Farm Lecture Hall (S102) may remain inside the room. |
Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building | Both floors: Nursing Center area: 109-113
North end classes: Hallway outside classrooms and restrooms |
Center for Historic Preservation | Basement |
Central Services Building (Day Care Center) |
Bathrooms |
Central Utility Plant/Chilling Plant | Ground Floor Shop Area |
Central Utility Plant/GOGENeration Plant |
Ground Floor Shop Area |
The Chris Young Cafe | Bathrooms |
Cope Administration Building | Basement |
Corlew Hall | Ground Floor Backside Corridors |
Cummings Hall | Ground Floor Corridors |
Deere Hall | Interior Quad Bathrooms |
Distribution Services (Blue Warehouse) | Telecommunications Bldg, ground floor away from windows |
Education Building | 3rd floor restroom and interior offices Ground floor south corridor (between closed fire doors) Overflow - Room 160 |
Ellington Human Sciences | Interior Corridors |
Ezell Hall | Faculty: Interior office space away from windows Writing Center: To interior rooms of Writing Center Rock Museum: Go to restrooms Recording Studio: Go to Studio E; next best would be Studio D. |
Fairview Building | Basement Infant/Toddlers - Interior Room #116 |
Floyd Stadium Pressbox Area | The base of the stair tower inside at the lowest level. Use stairs, not elevators. |
Forrest Hall | Ground Floor Corridors |
Foundation Reception House | Basement |
Gore Hall | Interior Quad Bathrooms |
Gracy Hall | Interior Quad Bathrooms |
Greek Row Houses 1-8 | Ground Floor Interior Corridors and Bathrooms |
Greenhouse | Go to Vocational Agriculture Building |
Hastings Maintenance Complex | Shop Bathroom Areas or Interior Offices |
Harrison House | University Police |
Haynes House (East Main) | 1. Go to police station across street or 2. Go to Haynes basement |
Haynes-Turner Maintenance Complex | Interior Offices or Bathrooms Away From Glass |
Health & Wellness Center | Restrooms, workroom and interior exam rooms |
Holmes Maintenance Complex | Interior Corridors |
Homer-Pittard Campus School | Basement |
Honors Building | Restrooms Room 106, on floor in between rows faced away from windows. |
Horse Science Center | Locker room and restrooms |
Horse Science Center Addition | Go to Horse Science Center |
Horticulture Facility | Go to Vocational Agriculture Building |
Internal Audit Office | Interior Bathrooms or Move to Dyslexia Center |
James Union Building | Basement corridor; lower dining room, if necessary |
Jean Jack Building (airport) | Restrooms and Room 106 |
Jones Hall | Central Interior Corridor |
Judd Hall | Interior Quad Bathrooms |
Keathley University Center | Basement Area Away From Doors |
Kirksey Old Main | Basement Corridor |
Learning Resources Center | Interior Corridors Away From Glass and Room 221 |
Lyon Hall | Basement Area |
Lytle House | Interior hallway next to the bathroom |
Mary Hall | Ground Floor Corridors and Bathrooms |
McFarland Health Services | Ground Floor Corridors and Bathrooms |
McHenry Hall | Ground Floor Corridors and Bathrooms |
Media and Entertainment Building |
Interior Corridors in South Wing Away From Atrium. (This is the wing area leading to the loading dock and the wing by the recording studio (but no further on Recording wing than Studio A). Downstairs restrooms, and rooms with interior walls (the Graphic Lab open area, Rooms 123, 149, 150, 155 (edit bays A-H) and 167 (follow runners' directions). If necessary, and last resort, the central machine room away from the glass, and very last resort, the central machine room hallway and the east and west corridors in main hallway, along the walls inside brick pillars under the overhang area. |
Midgett Building | Ground Floor Corridors and Bathrooms |
Miller Coliseum | Follow instructions of bldg. personnel |
Miller Education Center |
West Building: For building occupants in the Chinese Music Center and MTSU Police Department Annex Offices, take shelter in Rooms 1300, 1301, and the adjacent corridor. For building occupants in the Jones College of Business, take shelter in Room 1110. East Building: For all building occupants in the East side of the building, take shelter in Room 1814. |
Miller Lanier Airway Science | Peripheral Corridors Away From Hangars |
Monohan Hall | Basement Area |
MT One Stop | Ground Floor Interior Offices and Bathrooms |
Murphy Center | Basement Corridor Areas and Rooms. Follow instructions of bldg personnel Ticket Office at Gate 1A (Go to inner office inside Ticket Office; secondary location would be Murphy Center tunnel on Alumni Gym side |
Natatorium | Dressing Room Areas |
Nicks Hall | Quad Bathrooms |
Observatory | Stay Inside |
Open Shed Maintenance Complex | Move to Haynes-Turner |
Parking and Transportation Services |
Small interior offices and ERP Room |
Peck Hall | Interior Corridors and Bathrooms Away From Glass 2nd floor of Peck, interior hallways |
President's House | Basement |
Printing Services Building | Go to Tennessee Livestock Center |
Project HELP | Interior Corridors and Bathrooms |
University Police | Basement |
Recreation Center | Locker Rooms |
Reynolds Hall | Ground Floor Corridors and Bathrooms |
ROTC Annex | Move to Forrest Hall |
Rutledge Hall | Ground Floor Corridors and Bathrooms |
Sam Ingram Building | Lower Level (Garden floor) |
Saunders Fine Arts | Ground Floor Corridors and Bathrooms |
Scarlett Commons Apartments | Interior Bathrooms |
Scarlett Commons Clubhouse | Ground Floor Interior Corridors and Bathrooms |
Schardt Hall | Ground Floor Interior Corridors and Bathrooms |
Science Building | Ground Floor Interior Corridors and Bathrooms Away From Glass |
Sims Hall | Ground Floor Interior Corridors and Bathrooms |
Smith Hall | Ground Floor Interior Corridors and Bathrooms |
Sports and Medicine Building | Ground Floor Interior Corridors and Bathrooms |
Sports Hall of Fame | Move to Murphy Center |
Stark Agribusiness and Agriscience Center | Ground Floor Interior Corridors and Bathrooms |
Strobel Biology Annex | Stay Inside |
Student-Athletic Enhancement Center | Locker Room in Murphy Center |
Student Union Building | Ground Floor Interior Corridors and Bathrooms Away From Glass |
Telecommunications Building | Ground Floor Spaces Without Windows |
Tennessee Center for Child Welfare (Bank of America Building on East Main Street) | Primary: Bank of America vault (first-floor)
Secondary: Men's Bathroom and/or vault (second-floor) (the women's bathroom has a window) |
Tennessee Center for the Study of Dyslexia |
Ground Floor Interior Corridors |
Tennessee Livestock Center |
A small group should be able to assemble in the restrooms and stay away from any doors and windows. A larger group should take shelter:
|
Tennis Shelter | Move to Murphy Center |
Todd Hall | Basement Corridors and Bathrooms, Rooms 116, 117, 117a, 115 and the Art Studio |
Tom H. Jackson Building | Basement |
Tucker Theatre |
The people should split down the middle in the center section. All those on the left side of the auditorium (including balcony) should come down the left two aisles, go up the stairs, cross up right stage and go through the door into the Green Room. (Balcony people should come down the back left-side stairs.) They should continue down the south hallway and fill up that hallway moving back toward Green Room. They should use Green Room, if necessary. The people on the right side of the auditorium (including balcony) should come down the right two aisles, go up the stairs, cross toward up left stage and go through the doors into the hallway. (Balcony people should come down the back right-side stairs.) Once into the hallway, people should move toward to north end of hallway and begin back-filling the area. Dressing Room 112 will also be an overflow area. |
Vocational Agriculture | Interior Bathrooms |
Voorhies Industrial Studies Voorhies Industrial Studies - Ground Floor East wing: Room 116, interior corridors and restrooms |
Ground Floor Center: Interior corridors and restrooms Ground Floor West wing: Room 171 2nd Floor VIS: Go to Ground Floor safe places |
Walker Library | Interior Corridors Away From Glass and Bathrooms |
Wansley House (Audit House) | Interior Hallway |
Warehouse Maintenance Complex | Interior Offices and Bathrooms |
Wiser-Patten Science Hall | Room 102, basement corridor and restrooms, Lab 111 (at either end away from the two windows) |
Womack Lane Apartments | Bathrooms |
Wellness Center | Interior restrooms and workroom |
Wood-Stegall Center | Interior Hallways |
Wright Music Building | Ground Floor Corridors and Bathrooms |