• MSN
  • Hotmail
  • More
    • Autos
    • My MSN
    • Video
    • Careers & Jobs
    • Personals
    • Weather
    • Delish
    • Quotes
    • White Pages
    • Games
    • Real Estate
    • Wonderwall
    • Horoscopes
    • Shopping
    • Yellow Pages
    • Local Edition
    • Traffic
    • Feedback
    • Maps & Directions
    • Travel
    • Full MSN Index
  • Bing
  • NBCNews.com
  • TODAY
  • Nightly News
  • Rock Center
  • Meet the Press
  • Dateline
  • msnbc
  • Breaking News
  • Newsvine
  • Home
  • US
  • World
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Travel
  • Local
  • Weather
Advertise | AdChoices
  • Recommended: The Week in Pictures: May 9 - 16
  • Recommended: Border security improvements create new deadly route for illegal immigrants
  • Recommended: Life-saving surgery for baby with swollen head brings parents joy, relief
  • Recommended: Farmers fight back against swarming locusts in Israel

Conversations sparked by photojournalism. Follow us on Twitter to keep up-to-date.

  • ↓ About this blog
  • ↓ Archives
    • Icons Email E-mail updates
    • Icons Twitter Follow on Twitter
    • Icons Feed Subscribe to RSS
  • 3
    Apr
    2012
    8:35pm, EDT

    'The tornado was very close': Texas student describes high school lockdown

    Courtesy of Hannah Dorsey

    Instagram filters were used to process this image, taken by an iPhone.

    By Meredith Birkett

    Texans were active on a variety of social networks today, tracking and commenting on the tornadoes ripping through the Dallas area. On Instagram, the photography social network for iPhone, iPad and just released for Android, the hashtag #tornado was busy with pictures of tornado damage, funnel clouds, TV screens and self portraits ranging from goofy "oh no!" faces to genuine concern as they braced for the worst.

    Several users posted pictures from schools where students and faculty gathered in hallways, locker rooms and maybe even a bathroom to try and stay safe from the storms. Hannah Dorsey's image, above, and her "Tornado lockdown..." caption caught my attention, so we asked her about the experience of having tornadoes near her school, Bishop Lynch High School, located in Dallas, Texas.

    Hannah writes to msnbc.com:

    "I was in third period doing assignments online for my class when the Dean of Students came over the intercom, issuing a tornado warning. He instructed us to quietly evacuate the classrooms to the nearest hallway or safe place and assume the safety procedures that we had practiced just yesterday.

    My teacher followed us into the hallway and shut the door behind us. All the students sat along the walls with their faces turned towards the lockers, with hands over their heads. We were told to remain quiet and to listen for instructions. I was nervous but I knew we were safe. Our other Dean of Students entered my hallway and announced that the weather conditions were becoming increasingly worse and that the power will most likely go out. As he walked away murmurs arose and the teachers began to hush everyone, saying it would be fine. We sat there for about an hour after that. The lights flickered a few times but never went out and we did a few fun things to pass the time and keep everyone calm.

    At one point we could see the rain through the window at the end of the hall and the rain was being blown hard enough to make it seem the rain was falling horizontally. We were given an update on the weather about every twenty minutes and were told that the tornado was very close, only a block or two over. We remained there until we were given the all-clear. Our principal told us to return to our third period class until we would be dismissed for fourth period.

    Throughout the day we had a total of two evacuations, the second being very similar to the first. At the end of the day we were not allowed to leave the building unless our parents signed us out in the main office. Those who were driving themselves had to wait until the weather conditions were better. I was on lockdown until about 4:15."

    Texans crowdsource the news

    Follow msnbc.com's continuing coverage

    Photojournalists use Instagram and other photography apps on the campaign trail

    Follow @msnbc_pictures

    21 comments

    My daughter took the photo and wrote the write-up. I find it fascinating that some got hung up on the kids texting during "school." There were 3 tornados on the ground simultaneously in near proximity heading who-knows-where.

    Show more
    Explore related topics: texas, tornado, us-news, social-network, instagram

Browse

  • world-news,
  • us-news,
  • featured,
  • sports,
  • weather,
  • protest,
  • politics,
  • asia,
  • india,
  • china,
  • europe,
  • space,
  • religion,
  • afghanistan,
  • middle-east,
  • environment,
  • travel,
  • london,
  • germany,
  • military,
  • animal-tracks,
  • tech-science,
  • jwoods,
  • japan,
  • fire,
  • south-asia,
  • conflict,
  • israel,
  • new-york,
  • russia,
  • pakistan,
  • cosmic-log,
  • snow,
  • egypt,
  • animals,
  • images,
  • entertainment,
  • business,
  • spain,
  • africa,
  • england,
  • earthquake,
  • flood,
  • libya,
  • syria,
  • economy,
  • winter
Also
Advertise | AdChoices

Meredith Birkett

Meredith Birkett is a senior multimedia editor for special projects at MSNBC.com. In this role, Meredith works with freelancers, picture agencies, and staff multimedia journalists to produce multimedia projects across all sections of MSNBC.com.

Archives

  • 2013
    • May (85)
    • April (172)
    • March (186)
    • February (195)
    • January (251)
  • 2012
    • December (262)
    • November (281)
    • October (371)
    • September (319)
    • August (406)
    • July (387)
    • June (386)
    • May (422)
    • April (425)
    • March (458)
    • February (451)
    • January (502)
  • 2011
    • December (452)
    • November (464)
    • October (441)
    • September (409)
    • August (507)
    • July (439)
    • June (456)
    • May (443)
    • April (403)
    • March (421)
    • February (508)
    • January (651)
  • 2010
    • December (634)
    • November (360)
    • October (188)
    • September (159)
    • August (110)
    • July (89)
    • June (146)
    • May (89)
    • April (71)
    • March (46)
    • February (43)
    • January (54)
  • 2009
    • December (54)
    • November (46)
    • October (36)
    • September (40)
    • August (31)
    • July (39)
    • June (32)
    • May (57)
    • April (41)
    • March (38)
    • February (44)
    • January (45)
  • 2008
    • December (72)
    • November (38)
    • October (40)
    • September (40)
    • August (75)
    • July (36)
    • June (37)
    • May (44)
    • April (34)
    • March (52)
    • February (45)
    • January (26)
  • 2007
    • December (36)
    • November (32)
    • October (72)
    • September (60)
    • August (40)
    • July (23)
    • June (25)
    • May (31)
    • April (43)
    • March (38)
    • February (35)
    • January (47)
  • 2006
    • December (64)
    • November (77)
  • 2000
    • October (1)

Most Commented

  • Buggy hordes of cicadas sighted in Virginia ... but New York? Not yet (70)
  • Navy launches drone from aircraft carrier for first time (66)
  • Angry Maserati owner hires men to smash up his $420,000 supercar (38)
  • Man accidentally saws off arm, retrieves it, drives himself to hospital where it is reattached (30)
  • 'The World at Night' can be brightly beautiful – but there's a dark side, too (17)
  • Lava fountain, ash cloud erupt from Alaska volcano (14)
  • Microscopic crystal 'flowers' build themselves in a Harvard lab (12)

Other blogs

  • The Body Odd
  • Cosmic Log
  • Red Tape Chronicles
  • US News
  • Open Channel

NBCNews.com top stories

3147,10
© 2013 NBCNews.com
  • News photos on NBCNews.com
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Help
  • Site map
  • Careers
  • Closed captioning
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Advertise