Click Clack

AUBURN SATURDAY NIGHT: After my post Saturday night about the lightning delay at Auburn, I reached out to my friend and fellow meteorologist Ashley Gann at Auburn for some clarification. She provided a detailed explanation of what happened, and I want to share the important points. First, the comment about people being told to shelter “under a tree” was NOT Auburn’s instruction. Auburn’s emergency management team was monitoring the situation and had designated nearby buildings as emergency shelters. Here is the timeline: About 40 minutes before kickoff, Auburn received a 12-mile lightning alert. That prompted them to prepare nearby shelter locations. Four minutes later, a 10-mile alert was issued. The shelters were opened, and staff put out “Emergency Shelter” signs. Three minutes after that, the 8-mile alert was issued, which triggered the lightning suspension. At that point, the stadium gates were already open and thousands of people were in lines waiting to enter. Immediately, announcements were made directing people that were already inside the stadium to leave the seating bowl and seek shelter on the concourse or in nearby buildings, including Neville Arena, the Melton Student Center and Haley Center. Those buildings were unlocked and available for shelter. The problem was the timing. The lightning alert occurred right in the middle of the massive pregame rush into Jordan-Hare Stadium. Concurrently, fans inside the bowl were being asked to shelter on the concourse, so in an effort to eliminate additional congestion in the concourse, gates were closed and nearby shelters opened. Then, there were 2 additional strikes of lightning that reset the suspension each time. As crowds began to build outside the gates, Auburn initially directed those fans toward the nearby shelter buildings. However, when security cameras showed that large numbers of people were remaining outside rather than entering the shelters, Auburn reopened the stadium gates — even though the lightning threat had not completely ended — so people could get inside. I think that is an important distinction. The situation outside the stadium was obviously concerning, and there are lessons to be learned from the crowding that occurred. Auburn acknowledges that as well. But based on the information I received, the emergency management team did have a lightning protocol, did open designated shelters, did make announcements, and did ultimately change its approach when it became clear that large numbers of people were remaining outside. This was a difficult situation involving several things happening simultaneously: lightning, a normal pregam crowd arrival, stadium construction and changed pedestrian routes. Weather safety at large outdoor events is not always as simple as a number on a lightning detector. There are many moving parts, and decisions sometimes have to be made very quickly. I appreciate Ashley taking the time to explain what happened. And I really appreciate the Auburn emergency management and Auburn Athletics folks who were working behind the scenes to keep people safe.