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Duke Was Poised to Respond to Deadly Storm

As the storm that would spawn tornados across central and eastern North Carolina approached Durham, officials were preparing to take quick action as needed."We were monitoring the situation closely throughout the day and were in regular contact with leaders from campus, facilities, the health system, police, communication, and student affairs," said Kyle Cavanaugh, Duke's emergency coordinator and vice president for Human Resources. "We were prepared to launch communication in the event the storm threatened the campus."Cavanaugh said that if the tornado watch for Durham would have been upgraded to a tornado warning, the DukeALERT emergency notification system would have been activated to direct people to take shelter. Duke's outdoor warning system was also tested about 3:30 p.m. Saturday before the storm arrived in Durham. "Given the power outages that were being reported in other communities, the sirens and a test message were activated to ensure everything was working properly in case it was needed," Cavanaugh said. During the day, Duke University Police monitored the storm as it approached.  "We were in constant communication with a subscription weather service that provided us specific information concerning the track of the storm and any tornadic activity," said John Dailey, Duke Police Chief. The storm, which brought heavy rains and strong winds, spared Durham the devastation from tornados that spawned in Lee County, Wake County, and other counties across central and eastern North Carolina.  "We were fortunate that Duke and Durham were not directly impacted by the storm, but we were prepared to warn the community had there been danger," Dailey said. Precautionary plans began as early as Friday as Athletics moved to reschedule a men's lacrosse game against Virginia on Saturday for earlier in the day to avoid the incoming storm. "Because the game was to be broadcast live, the moving parts including TV, the ACC office, Duke game operations and the Virginia team," said Art Chase, sports information director for Athletics. "All parties jumped on board and we were able to move the game from noon to 11 a.m."Duke University Hospital was on alert after the storm in preparation to receive large volumes of patients from several small regional hospitals.  While the need for mass patient transfers did not materialize immediately, the reports on Sunday revealed the deadly impact of the storm. North Carolina's Division of Emergency Management reported that at least 21 people were killed and more than 130 injured by tornadoes and severe storms that struck at least 20 counties of the state.