Department Contact Info
Location
Welch Hall 133
Ohio Wesleyan University
Delaware, OH 43015
Extreme weather is relatively rare in central Ohio, but Ohio Wesleyan seeks to be prepared for whatever Mother Nature dishes out.
Ohio Wesleyan is served by American Electric Power (AEP). If campus power outages are tied to an AEP issue, the company will share information in its area outage map.
Ohio Wesleyan will share information, when available, via email message or, if an urgent response is required, via the OWU ALERT system. Please refrain from calling the OWU Department of Public Safety or the Delaware Police Department (911) for routine power-outage updates. Please reserve calls to these entities for instances when you need assistance. If you have an active emergency, always call 911 first.
If the Delaware County Sheriff's Office declares a Level 3 Snow Emergency in the area, Ohio Wesleyan will be closed and classes canceled.
To ensure the comfort and safety of students, workers in Dining Services, Facilities, and Public Safety will be asked to report as usual.
Alert levels are defined as follows by the State of Ohio:
In addition to using the OWU ALERT notification system to inform the campus community of the weather-related closing, information will be posted on the University Web site and shared with area media including WBNS-TV (CBS 10), WCMH-TV (NBC 4), WSYX-TV (ABC 6), WTTE-TV (Fox 28), and WDLR-FM 96.7.
Below are winter safety tips from the OWU Student Health Center and information from weathersafety.ohio.gov
Alcohol Consumption During Cold Weather
Alcohol can speed up hypothermia by taking blood away from the heart, brain, and other vital organs and sending it to the skin. Be extra careful regarding drinking behavior and watch out for one another so that intoxicated individuals are accompanied by a more sober person to ensure they get safely indoors after leaving parties, bars, or anywhere else alcohol is consumed.
How to Dress During Cold Weather
What is Wind Chill Temperature?
The wind chill temperature is how cold people and animals feel when outside. Wind chill is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by wind and cold. As the wind increases, it draws heat from the body, driving down skin temperatures and eventually the internal body temperature. Therefore, the wind makes it feel much colder.
What is Hypothermia?
Hypothermia is abnormally low body temperature (below 95 degrees F). Warning signs include uncontrollable shivering, memory loss, disorientation, incoherence, slurred speech, drowsiness, and apparent exhaustion.
Medical attention is needed immediately. If it is not available, begin warming the body slowly.
What is Frostbite?
Frostbite is an injury to the body when your body tissue freezes. The most susceptible parts of the body are the extremities such as fingers, toes, ear lobes, or the top of the nose. Symptoms include a loss of feeling in the extremity and a white or pale appearance. Medical attention is needed immediately for frostbite. The area should be slowly re-warmed.
Signage is available in Ohio Wesleyan buildings to instruct those inside where to go if tornadoes are forecast. If you need to react quickly and are unaware of designated safety locations, please follow these Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines:
If you are in a large building:
If you are outside with no nearby shelter:
Signs of imminent danger include:
Watch vs. Warning:
Delaware's Outdoor Emergency Sirens:
During a tornado warning, outdoor sirens will operate on a 3-minutes-on, 10-minutes-off cycle for the duration of the warning. No all-clear message is issued via the sirens, so it's important to have a way to receive emergency communications while you shelter.