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MU to Test Mass Alert and Warning System

Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to review emergency procedures, update or download the GoMizzou app, and register to receive emergency messages.

March 11th, 2016

Story Contact: Christian Basi, 573-882-4430, BasiC@missouri.edu

COLUMBIA, Mo. ­— At 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 15, University of Missouri officials will test all components of MU’s Mass Alert and Warning System. The upcoming drill will be the spring semester test of MU’s full emergency alert system while students are on campus. This test is in cooperation with the Boone County Office of Emergency Management and will coincide with the sounding of county/city outdoor warning sirens. In the event of bad weather, the test will be postponed until 1:30 p.m., Thursday, March 17. (If the drill on March 17 is canceled due to inclement weather, Mizzou will conduct a drill at noon on Wednesday, April 6, when the City of Columbia sirens are tested.)

During the test, ALERTUS beacons will sound an alert for 30 seconds and flash silently for three minutes. ALERTUS beacons are located in lecture halls, common areas and hallways of most MU classroom buildings and student unions. The drill will test the systems’ features, including:

  • 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 a text alert message that will read: “This is a test of the MU Mass Alert and Warning System.” Alert emails will include the following subject line: “This is a TEST of the MU Mass Alert and Warning System.”

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to update or download the GoMizzou app, which features a crisis/safety module, and to visit http://mualert.missouri.edu/ for instructions on how to register to receive emergency messages. This website also contains a summary of MU’s Emergency Operations Plan and evacuation procedures.

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