KU to test emergency alert system on Lawrence campus March 7
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas will conduct an all-systems test of its emergency alert systems for the Lawrence campus at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 7. The test will include the Lawrence campus 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 emergency public address system allow for broadcast alerts and instructions to reach occupants in nearly all campus buildings.
Students are automatically subscribed to emergency text messages and can update their cell phone number at Enroll and Pay. Faculty and staff who are not already signed up to receive text messages are encouraged to do by visiting the myKU portal and clicking the Employee Emergency Notification tab. Cell phone numbers can be updated here as well.
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.
- Website 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/UnivofKansas.
- 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 2023 Severe Weather Preparedness 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.
