As the winter approaches east Texas, TJC and others prepare themselves for the upcoming cold weather. As TJC’s campus gets colder, the precautions get tighter. November 2013 at TJC was a chilling landscape of ice for the students and faculty. Many where bundled up trying to stay warm as the chilling winds hit hard. According to KLTV weather radar systems, the low temperatures and wind chill is coming back. TJC has defensive plans and ways to notify all students on how to combat the cold.
“On those inclement weather days, we collaborate with the city of Tyler, UT Tyler, and Tyler ISD to make a decision on whether or not to close the schools that day,” said Campus Police Chief Melton.
If ice storms come to the Tyler area again this winter, all high school, middle, and elementary schools will be closed due to unsafe school bus travel. Universities and colleges have a high chance of delayed openings and campus closures.
“Campus safety listens to the national radio service for our alerts. We obviously want to make it safe for our students and faculty,” said Melton.
If schools are having delayed openings or being closed all together, TJC emergency notification kicks in a sends text message to all students and faculty that are signed up to received them. Students can sign up to be aware of the latest changes in weather and more through their Apache access.
“If there is a case of ice on the roads, stay home. If you don’t have to and it’s not an emergency, stay off the roads. If you have a paper to turn in just email it,” said Melton.
According to the TJC crisis management plan, during a case of inclement weather or power outages, students should call 903-510-3000 for information on campus closures.
“For the most part I don’t like this cold weather,” says Jay Dozier, a student at TJC. “Last year we had a snow storm come through here and it was really bad because we couldn’t go anywhere and couldn’t get food from the grocery store. All I know to do is dress proper and avoid getting sick.”
If someone is not appropriately equipped to combat the cold weather, they run the risk of catching hypothermia. Hypothermia is a dangerous drop in body temperature due to exposure to cold weather, and thousands of people die from it every year. According to the CDC web site, students should also be aware that they run a higher risk of catching hypothermia when the skin is wet in 30 to 50 degree weather, after the use of tobacco, and after the consumption of alcohol.
Students and faculty are encouraged to stay warm this upcoming season in the cold weather.
