No institution is immune from the impacts of emergencies or disasters. The University of Missouri has reviewed its disaster preparedness and resilience so it can appropriately respond to potential emergencies that could affect those in the university community.
Over the past several months, new alert and warning systems have become operational, said Jack Watring, chief of MU Police. An updated emergency operations plan has been completed. And the university has hired Eric Evans as emergency management coordinator.
“All of these actions will place the university on a greater preparedness footing that will lead to better responses should a disaster occur,” Watring said.
Earlier this year, MU tested all components of its Mass Alert and Warning System, which include text alerts, emails, desktop notifications, social media feeds to MU’s Facebook and Twitter accounts and the Alertus Beacons in classroom buildings. On March 4, the entire system was tested in conjunction with state and local severe weather drills.
“We continue to work on preparing the MU community for potential emergencies and disasters with comprehensive plans, training and exercises,” Evans said.
Evans encourages all faculty, staff and students to register with MU’s emergency alert system by visiting mualert.missouri.edu. Individuals registered with the system will receive alerts on their phones.
