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Preparing for Winter Storm: Landon

Residence Life & Student Housing (RLSH) is monitoring Winter Storm, Landon, that may affect the SMU Dallas Campus on Wednesday and Thursday (February 2nd & 3rd). We have put contingencies in place for severe weather. We know that the Winter Storm, Uri, last February (2021) was stressful and impacted many of our students. That storm was a once in 100 years storm, but even so, we are preparing to deal with similar issues in the unlikely event that they occur again. 

WHAT RLSH AND SMU ARE DOING TO PREPARE: 

  1. Ensuring SMU Aware is up-to-date: We are working to ensure that SMU Aware reflects the most current situation on campus and the surrounding neighborhoods. SMU students and employees are automatically signed up for the SMU Alert system that sends out push notifications via text, email, and voicemails. You can also follow SMU Aware on Twitter and Facebook for the latest information @SMUAware.
  2. Continuous Maintenance staff availability: There will be on-call maintenance staff to attend to any building emergencies. And if your room gets too cold (or even too hot) you can submit a hot/cold request to SMU maintenance staff online via the STABLE website. If you are experiencing an emergency maintenance issue such as leaks or flooding, call the SMU Office of Facilities directly at (214) 768-7000. Then let your RA or the on-call RA know about the issue as well. 
  3. Dining to remain operational: Regardless of the severity of the weather, at least one SMU dining option and usually more will be open and providing meals. Check the SMU Hospitality website, or SMU Aware, for your dining options. 
  4. Increasing staffing for potential 24-hour on-call: Currently, the Armstrong and Virginia-Snider Commons Service Desks are staffed from 8 am – 8 pm, with on-call RAs operating from 8 pm – 8 am. If SMU announces a class or university closure due to severe weather, your building’s on-call RA phone will default to 24-hours a day until university operations return to normal. This number varies by Commons and is posted in and around your building. 
  5. Preparing for building access during a power outage: If SMU loses power, the card readers will automatically switch to a battery-powered mode that will power the card reader for up to a few hours. If this happens, we will email you with information about accessing your room/building.  

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PREPARE: 

  1. Make sure your contact information is current: It is very important to keep your personal contact information, including your current cell phone number, up to date with SMU so that you receive emergency notifications and other announcements. You can verify or update your contact information by logging into your my.smu.edu account, clicking on “My Profile” then “Contact Info.” Additionally, you may also want to update your emergency contacts and opt your parents/guardians into emergency notifications through the same portal.
  2. Follow SMU Aware: As an SMU student or employee, you are already signed up for the SMU Alert system push notifications. But you can get even more information if you follow SMU Aware. 
  3. Charge your electronic devices: Keep all of your devices as charged as possible in the event of a power outage. If you own any battery banks for your electronics, you can charge those now as well.
  4. Park your car, as applicable, strategically: In case of freezing temperatures, ice, or snow, avoid parking your vehicle on the roof of the parking garage. Park your car on the lower levels in case you need to use your vehicle.  
  5. Let your faucets drip (if in an apartment): Turn on your faucets so they lightly drip water. This prompts the continual flow of water through pipes making the pipes less likely to freeze. Opening cabinets that enclose plumbing will increase the air temperature around the pipes also helping to prevent freezing.

SMU is committed to your safety. RLSH will communicate campus operational changes or delays, if necessary, via email, text, SMU Aware website and social media, as well as local news media. Stay safe and warm!