K-State fails to alert students about tornado
5:43 p.m. Thursday, June 12, 2008
Manhattan — “We had just assumed last night that it was just any normal thunderstorm,” says KC Wright, a college student who returned to Manhattan for the summer. “We didn’t know how bad it was. I don’t know why they didn’t send out that text message, but it would have helped.”
KC Wright is one of hundreds of college students seeking shelter from the tornado that swept through K-State Wednesday night. He didn’t know what to do.
K-State facilities are working behind me on more than $20 million worth of damage here at the university.
However, the university did not contact K-State students in preparing them for this situation. They didn’t send an e-mail or even an emergency text message through their new program they implemented this year.
They have no reason as to why, and students find this unacceptable. Luckily, nobody was hurt.
“If you don’t get that text message, it seems like a thunderstorm instead of a tornado actually going through the town,” Wright says.
“It’s really surprising that they wouldn’t text message their students to tell them about a disaster that could potentially kill and hurt people,” says Preston Braun, a K-State students taking class this summer.
But not all communication was lacking.
“Appreciate that they put stuff on their Web site about classes that were cancelled and such because I was… It was really hard to tell. I wish they had sent out a text message also because people who didn’t have power this morning wouldn’t know whether to go to school or not,” says K-State student Molly Miller.
University officials were unable to comment to why no message was sent during the storm.
K-State emergency text message policy does not require the school to send an alert. But with this type of damage, students say they expected more from the school.
Comments
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Jun. 12, 2008 at 11:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)v2be (anonymous)
So there are tornado sirens going off, but you guys think a text message is more important. everyone else in manhattan knew what was going on. We as students don't need a text message when there is severe weather, pretty sure we can figure that out on our own.
Jun. 13, 2008 at 12:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)billmuir (anonymous)
Does Mr. Wright wonder what sirens going off five times mean?? What your reporter needed to understand is that about 90% of those who signed up for the text messaging ARE NOT in Manhattan right now. If we would have texted them in Kansas City, Wichita or Oakley, you would have done a story about how that was pretty dumb. Mr. Wright didn't know what to do!?!? -- Take shelter like the intelligent people in town!
Jun. 13, 2008 at 12:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)ksu1 (anonymous)
Are these people really that stupid? They expect the university to be responsible to let them know that there's tornadoes in the area. Hear the sirens, turn on the radio, easy as that. The radio said "a tornado has been spotted 1 mile south of Ogden and is moving Northeast." Let's see, Northeast of Ogden is....Manhattan. I'm a student at K-State and had no problem being aware of the storm. I also do not expect the University to be responsible for contacting me. Another thing, the students interviewed do not attend Kansas State, and would not receive these messages anyway.
Jun. 13, 2008 at 12:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)kw25 (anonymous)
Alright, I'm the one in this story, and this video didn't exactly portray everything I said. I did say that a text message might have helped a little more to notify students, but I also did say that there is no reason students should rely on a text message from the university to know that there is a serious thunderstorm/tornado on the way. I even said that they probably didn't send it because obviously it's summer and most students are not in town. I don't even go to K-State.
I swear I'm not nearly as dumb as this might make me look. Saying that I "didn't know what to do" on that night is a bit of a stretch.
Jun. 13, 2008 at 2:43 p.m.ksu2 (anonymous)
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Jun. 13, 2008 at 5:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)brandon (anonymous)
So much for research in journalism. The Emergency Text Message (ETMS) system at K-State is not used to report weather. It's just that simple!
http://www.k-state.edu/infotech/news/tue...
Besides, you speak as though the messages are instantly received. If you subscribe to the ETMS service, you know they're not. The last time the system was tested, I didn't receive the test message until 24 minutes after they sent it. The tornado would've been long gone by then.
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