KU to test emergency alert systems March 7


LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas will conduct an all-systems test of its emergency alert systems at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 7. The test will include KU’s emergency public address system, tornado sirens, text message alerts and email alerts.

The public address system is part of a comprehensive emergency notification system at KU. During the test, a three-second alert tone will sound, followed by the test message. Building occupants should continue with normal activities during the test but are encouraged to think about places to take shelter and the best possible exits during an emergency.

Speakers for the public address system are installed in and around 84 buildings, reaching 98 percent of KU’s academic areas. The buildings comprise the highest concentrations of students, faculty and staff.

Students are automatically subscribed to emergency text messages and can update their cell phone number at Enroll and Pay. Faculty and staff are encouraged to sign up to receive text messages and manage their cell phone number by visiting the myKU portal and clicking the Employee Emergency Notification tab.

In the case of severe weather March 7, the test will be postponed to a later date.

The university’s emergency notification strategy also includes:

  • Email alerts: The university’s emergency broadcast email system can reach about 33,000 KU email accounts.
  • Webpage alerts: The university will use alerts.ku.edu as a centralized location for information updates.
  • Social media updates: The university will post updates via Twitter at twitter.com/KUnews.
  • Established protocols to use local media to help inform the public in the event of an ongoing crisis.

The emergency tests coincide with the National Weather Service’s 2017 Severe Weather Awareness Week from March 6-10, and KU’s tornado sirens will sound at the same time as tornado sirens across the state as part of Kansas’ statewide tornado drill.

Mon, 03/06/2017

author

Andy Hyland

Media Contacts

Andy Hyland

Office of Public Affairs

785-864-7100