Contact: Sid Salter
STARKVILLE, Miss.—The National Weather Service has placed the Starkville and Meridian areas, including Mississippi State University Starkville and Meridian campuses, under an enhanced severe weather advisory for Thursday afternoon [Feb. 16] that includes the possibility of tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, damaging hail and high winds until 6 p.m.
Accordingly, MSU will transition to remote operations beginning at 12:30 p.m. and continue in the mode until returning to normal operations on Friday, Feb.17. Parents who need to accommodate picking up their children from school may need to leave campus earlier and should make arrangements with their supervisors in advance of their departure.
The following areas of refuge will be available through the period of severe weather threat and will close once that threat has passed: Colvard Student Union Dawg House Room 123 [Enter from YMCA Plaza]; Mitchell Memorial Library Rooms 1050, 1054, 1056, and 1252 [Enter from the Hardy Road entrance]; Wise Center Rooms A1200 and A1306 [Enter via the Main/Hospital entrance]. Please note, these buildings will be otherwise closed except these specific locations, and building services will not available.
If a tornado warning is issued, it is important to quickly move to an interior room on the lowest level of the building. Always avoid driving or going outside once a tornado warning is issued.
The MSU Dining schedule will be as follows: Subway and Moe's will maintain normal operating hours; Perry Cafeteria will serve lunch normal schedule, and dinner from 5 to 8 p.m.; Union Food Court and Einstein’s Bagels will close at 12:30 p.m.; Fresh Food Company and Steak-N-Shake will not open on Thursday; and Maroon Markets in Hathorn, Dogwood, and Griffis will maintain normal operations.
The Sanderson Center, Longest Student Health Center, and MSU Libraries (except as an Area of Refuge) will close at 12:30 p.m.
All SMART routes will continue to run normally until 1:30 p.m. if weather conditions allow. A warning and/or imminent severe weather in our area could prompt immediate suspension of all SMART routes earlier than planned.
MSU will provide updates as they become available at www.emergency.msstate.edu. Other official MSU outlets include www.facebook.com/msstate and www.twitter.com/msstate. Follow MSU Maroon Alert at www.twitter.com/maroonalert.
Emergency alerts for Oktibbeha County are available through the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency at www.oktibbehacountyms.org/ by clicking on “Code Red.”