It’s a Monday afternoon, and you look outside. You’re so tired from the weekend that you think you may be hallucinating when you see an extremely grey sky and the wind is pounding against your face. You’re not hallucinating. It’s real. A tornado is heading your way. What would you do? Would you run for your life or head to the nearest classroom?

This past Tuesday there was a tornado watch for Central Florida until 3 p.m. Nothing happened here, but there was a touchdown north of Tampa.

No one at ODA sought shelter, but the school has a system of alerts that are identified by color. On this day, no codes were called. But who knows what the future could bring. There could be a serious situation in which ODA students need to know what to do in order to stay out of danger.

When severe weather truly becomes a threat, a Code White, teachers will be  notified via email or phone by Mrs. Mullen. “Everyone would hear this radio if it went off,” says Mullen. Students and teachers will be instructed to stay inside or go to the closest building. The safest building on campus is the Thunderdome, especially when standing away from the windows.  Teachers will monitor the weather and notify students of the status of the storm.

If no damage has been done, students may proceed to class, but if damage has been done, a Code Green evacuation will occur.

Now that you know what to do in a weather emergency, you may be concerned about any other threatening situations you could be put in. ODA has a great system that labels different plans by color. Here are the other color codes that you will need to know in an emergency:

Code Red: Lockdown because of serious situation outside of the building. Examples of these would be a dangerous animal or a bomb threat. You must stay inside in a classroom at all times until cleared.

Code Purple: High security lockdown. An example of this is an intruder or a kidnapper. Teachers must gather and students into their classroom, and then lock the doors and close the blinds. No is allowed to leave their classrooms or safe zones until given specific instructions.

Code Yellow: Stand by and proceed with caution.

C0de Blue: All clear!

Hopefully we never have to call any of these codes, but just in case, be prepared.