Campus Alert Archive
USM

An EF4 Carves the South End of Campus: USM's Hattiesburg Tornado

MStornadoemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the afternoon of February 10, 2013, a low-end EF4 tornado with winds up to 170 mph tore through Hattiesburg and the southern portion of the University of Southern Mississippi campus, damaging at least six buildings and destroying two others, including the historic Ogletree Alumni House. University police declared a state of emergency and urged people to stay away from campus. Remarkably, no one on campus was killed, though the storm injured 71 people across the area.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of Southern Mississippi
Public R2 · MS
~15,000 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction205 chars
USM ALERT: Tornado Warning in effect for the Hattiesburg campus. Take shelter immediately in an interior room on the lowest floor. Stay away from windows. Do not leave shelter until an all-clear is issued.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed warning; a tornado warning was issued for Hattiesburg ahead of the EF4, and USM operates an emergency text-alert system, but the verbatim message was not archived publicly.
The instruction to shelter on the lowest floor in an interior room is the standard tornado action and is consistent with the fact that no one on campus was killed despite catastrophic structural damage.
UPDATESMS
Approximate reconstruction282 chars
A state of emergency has been declared on the USM Hattiesburg campus following tornado damage. Several buildings are damaged. If you are not on campus, stay away until further notice. Residential students should remain in secure areas and follow instructions from university police.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed update; WLOX reported 'University police declared a state of emergency and urged those not on campus to stay away until further notice' and that 'all residential buildings are secure.'
This message is an update rather than an all-clear because it keeps people away from campus and directs students to remain in secure areas while damage is assessed.
Context

Background

The February 10, 2013 Hattiesburg tornado was the first EF4 of 2013, a large multiple-vortex tornado that crossed the southern end of the University of Southern Mississippi campus on a Sunday afternoon. It damaged at least six campus buildings and destroyed two, including the Ogletree Alumni House and the Mannoni Performing Arts Center, with total campus repair costs estimated above $38 million. University police declared a state of emergency and confirmed that all residential buildings were secure. The storm injured 71 people across the region but, owing in part to timely sheltering on a low-population Sunday, killed no one. The event is a leading example of a campus surviving a violent tornado with zero fatalities and is frequently cited in campus severe-weather planning.
Analysis

Key Findings

An EF4 tornado destroyed two campus buildings and damaged at least six others yet killed no one on the USM campus
University police declared a state of emergency and directed people to stay away while confirming all residential buildings were secure
Timely sheltering on a low-population Sunday afternoon is credited with preventing campus fatalities despite catastrophic structural damage
Outcome
All residential buildings were secured and no students were killed; repair costs were estimated at more than $38 million. The tornado injured 71 people across Forrest and Lamar counties.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    2013 Hattiesburg tornado - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  2. News
    USM tornado 'could have been much, much worse' - WLOX
    wlox.com
  3. News
    Tornado damage to University of Southern Mississippi estimated in tens of millions - NBC News
    nbcnews.com
  4. Source
    Hattiesburg, MS EF4 Tornado - February 10, 2013 - Tornado Talk
    tornadotalk.com
Tags
tornadomississippiweatheref4campus-damageemergency-notificationzero-fatalities
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion