KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Baseball season and severe weather season go hand in hand. If there’s ever a chance of the two mixing, the Kansas City Royals staff is prepared to take care of the fans at Kauffman Stadium during a severe weather event.
Whenever there are storms in the forecast, or storms have developed in the area during a baseball game, it's important to find the nearest usher — no matter the seat or section a fan is located.
"The biggest thing to know when they're out here in their seats is where the closest usher is. They're going to be the ones with the most information,” said Travis Bryant, director of fan experience.
The ushers will direct people at the ballpark to a safe place in Kauffman Stadium in case there is a need to evacuate from severe weather. Normally, if there is rain, wind and/or lightning, fans will congregate under shelter in the nearest concourse. Those fans located in the upper level deck will have to evacuate and reach a lower concourse.
If there's a tornado warning around the area, the ushers will guide fans to a tunnel below Kauffman that goes underneath the parking lots and connects to Arrowhead Stadium.
All the bathrooms at the K are also protected shelters for severe weather.
Bryant showed 41 Action News around the protected concourse and tunnel that would be filled with Royals fans if severe weather was in the area.
"If you were on the lower level you would evacuate here and would lead to the tunnel back here. The other levels would mainly look for the spirals and we would bring them down there. And if we had to, we could use the end staircase as well. The bathrooms are protected shelters as well in case a tornado was nearby. We have the restrooms nearby down here and if it did come to that we would start taking them down this tunnel and this wraps around to the employee tunnel. So when it starts getting filled we can start funneling everyone to safe place,” Bryant said.
—
