MU to Test Emergency Alert System Tuesday

March 3rd, 2014

By Sarah Clinton

COLUMBIA, Mo. – At 1:45 p.m., on Tuesday, March 4, University of Missouri officials will test all components of its Mass Alert and Warning System in conjunction with state and local severe weather drills. The upcoming drill will be the first test of MU’s full emergency alert system while students are on campus.

During the test, outdoor warning sirens will sound, which may not be heard indoors, and ALERTUS beacons will flash for ten seconds. Alarm beacons are located in lecture halls as well as common areas and hallways of most MU campus classroom buildings and student unions. The drill also will test the ALERTUS and Black Board Connect systems technological features, which include:

• Text message alerts to students, faculty and staff who have elected to receive warnings by text.
• A mass alert email to all university email accounts.
• Desktop notification to computer screens that have MU’s alert software installed.
• Messages posted to MU’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
• An advisory notice on the MU Alert webpage.

Cell phone users will receive an alert message that will read: “This is a test of the MU Mass Alert and Warning System in conjunction with state and local severe weather alerting systems.” Alert emails will include the following subject line: “This is a TEST of the MU Mass Alert and Warning System.”

“Mizzou is dedicated to the safety and security of our students, faculty, staff and campus visitors,” said Jack Watring, chief of the MU Police Department. “We appreciate the patience of the MU community throughout this critical test of the MU Mass Alert and Warning System.”

Students, faculty and staff can visit http://mualert.missouri.edu/ for instructions on opting in for emergency text message alerts. This website also contains a summary of MU’s Emergency Operations Plan and evacuation procedures.