2:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5: Winter storms in the forecast for tonight and Friday have prompted school officials to close the campus today at 3 p.m. and stay closed until Monday, Dec. 9.

Students are notified in a timely manner when OCCC closes or can’t open due to inclement weather, said John Richardson, web development and social media supervisor.

“Of course, the television and radio stations are notified of the closures or delayed openings,” Richardson said.

Radio and television stations are just one of the many ways that students can receive information about the campus.

Richardson said students will get an email in their school email inbox. However, they also can receive texts or additional emails to other addresses if they have updated that information in the system.

“Additionally, with that [email] system, they can update it with telephone numbers for text messages and additional email addresses as well,” he said.

Updates also will be on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

“We post it on the college’s website. We post it on the college’s Facebook account and we post it to Twitter as well,” Richardson said.

Students are advised to be careful during inclement weather.

“They just need to be really, really cautious when they’re walking around outside,” Richardson said. In addition, the Red Cross recommends dressing in several layers of lightweight clothing, and wearing hats and gloves in order to prevent hypothermia and frostbite dress.

Before venturing out into the winter weather, students also should make sure their gas tank is full.

The Red Cross also said to make sure to have plenty of supplies at home such as water, non-perishable food, flashlights, batteries and a battery powered radio. First aid kits, medication, and charged cell phones also are good things to have.

For more information about closings, visit www.occc.edu.

For more information about how to prepare for winter weather visit, www.redcross.org/news/press-release/OKC-Red-Cross-Offers-Cold-Weather-Safety-Tip.