Storm with 90 mph winds knocked out campus power for about 30 hours
AI-generated · every claim is source-linkedA severe thunderstorm with winds up to 90 mph struck the University of Maryland College Park campus around 6:00 PM EDT on July 12, 2022, knocking out all three 13.8 kV feeders to the Mowatt Lane substation. The resulting campus-wide power outage lasted approximately 30 hours and forced UMD to cancel all in-person and remote classes and operations on Wednesday, July 13.
- Alerts
- 3
- Response
- min
- Killed
- 0
- Injured
- 0
Alert Sequence
3 messages in sequence · 3 verified verbatim
How the first alert is built
To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.
Due to severe weather in the area earlier this evening, the University of Maryland and its surrounding community are experiencing widespread power outages. Backup generators are operating to maintain key campus facilities, and Pepco is actively working to restore power. If you are currently on campus, please use caution as tree limbs, fencing and other material may be blocking roadways and sidewalks. We are communicating with and supporting those who are staying on campus. A decision about the status of campus operations for Wednesday, July 13, 2022, will be communicated by 5:00 a.m., once a review of power restoration and campus conditions is completed. This update will be distributed through the campus alert system via text and email and posted on the University homepage at umd.edu
Sourceabsent0/0
Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.
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Hazardabsent0/0
What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.
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Locationabsent0/0
Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.
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Guidanceabsent0/0
The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.
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Timeabsent0/0
When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.
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Impactabsent0/0
What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.
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Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.
About this analysisBackground
Key Findings
Sources
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- Student Paper
- News
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- Official
Campus Alert Archive. "University of Maryland, College Park: Storm with 90 mph winds knocked out campus power for about 30 hours." Incident of July 12, 2022. Added May 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/university-of-maryland-storm-power-outage-2022-07-12/
Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.