Dear Friends and Neighbors of Webb City Schools, 

We would like to take a moment to review essential information pertaining to our district safe rooms. Our shelters’ first function is to provide protection for the students and staff amid tornado and extreme high wind events during school hours. While school is in session,the Safe Rooms will be available to residents who do not have safe locations to take shelter, such as a basement, and who live within what we refer to as the "Tornado Protection Zone" (TPZ).  During a weather event, school staff will make efforts to separate students and community members within the shelter.  As a reminder, FEMA prohibits pets from entering storm shelters.

The TPZ (see map on next page) represents a half-mile radius around each site, and roughly five- minute or less walking distance to any district safe room. Please note: District safe rooms are designed to provide shelter for students, staff, and for those who live within the Tornado Protection Zone.  Safe rooms are not designed to provide shelter for those individuals who live beyond the TPZ, due to limited capacities of the shelters.

Your official notification that the Safe Room is open will be through your NOAA weather radio. The Safe Room will be opened when the National Weather Service issues a Tornado Warning, or severe weather event with winds in excess of 75 mph impacting the Webb City School District. If a weather warning is issued after school hours, the doors will open automatically and a local first responder will be there to supervise the facility for the duration of the weather warning. 

In this packet you will find:  

• Tornado Protection Zone map representing the area served by the Community Safe Room Safe Room entrance floor plan map, showing you where to enter the Safe Room Community Safe Room Rules.  
• Tornado safety tips

We are pleased to be able to provide a Community Safe Room for our students, staff, and neighborhoods at the following locations:

• Carterville Elementary
• Madge T. James Elementary
• Harry and Bess Truman Elementary
• Webb City High School

For additional information about our safe rooms including frequently asked questions, please check out our website at  www.wcr7.org. For further questions, please contact Josh Flora, Assistant Superintendent, Business Operations at 417-673-6000. 

Sincerely, 

Josh Flora

Assistant Superintendent, Business Operations