The Office of University Safety has been working with Information Services to improve our emergency messaging capabilities with the Missouri State Alert System. These improvements will allow us to send emergency messages to specific audiences or demographics, where previously we could only send messages to all members of campus.
As part of these improvements, all users will need to log in to the preferences page to update their contact preferences (voice, text, email).
The final update to the system is planned for July 22, 2020. It is vital that after this date everyone update their preferences to prevent missing any emergency communications. For employees that wish to receive notifications via their office phone, they will need to add it to their preferences.
For students, faculty and staff, update your preferences online.
For individuals that are not a student, faculty or staff and wish to continue to receive the Missouri State Alerts, update your preferences online.
A reminder email will be sent via Missouri State Alert on Monday, July 27, 2020 to all users who have not yet updated their preferences.
If you have questions, contact Jacob Welch, Dispatch Manager, at JacobWelch@MissouriState.edu.
On Tuesday, March 3, 2020, Missouri will hold its annual statewide tornado drill at 10:00 a.m. Missouri State participates in this annual drill. It provides a good test and review of our tornado procedures. During this drill, all faculty, staff and students are asked to react in accordance with the University’s Emergency Action Plan Severe Weather and Tornado Procedures. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with these procedures before the drill. For a complete list of shelter locations, go to the Building Evacuation and Shelter Locations Reference Chart.
Tornado Facts
- Wind speeds can reach in excess of 300 mph.
- Paths of destruction can be more than a mile wide and 50 miles long.
- Tornadoes can occur at any time of day, but most frequently occur between 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
- Tornadoes in Missouri peak March through June, but can occur at any time of year.
- Missouri has averaged 46.7 tornadoes per year.
- Missouri is in the top 10 states that experience tornadoes.
- The U.S. averages 71 deaths per year from tornadoes.
Be Smart. Stay Safe.
The spring semester test of the Missouri State Alert system will occur on Tuesday, January 21st at 10:50 a.m. The test will provide an email to all members of the campus community. It will also send a text and voice message to those that have provided this information. If you do not receive this test via the methods you desire, please go to the Missouri State Alert website to manage your preferences or to learn more about this vital communications tool. This test provides a good opportunity to review your emergency plans.
Also, if you want to have the latest safety information, subscribe to the Safety First blog. Safety tips and crime information is posted throughout the semester. Finally, if you need additional information, please visit the University Safety website.
Thanksgiving break begins next Wednesday and the majority of campus will be traveling to off-campus destinations. The weather conditions vary in November and it is important to make sure that you and your vehicle are prepared for the road. Below are tip and resources to prepare for a road trip.
Before you travel, equip your vehicle with:
- Ice brush/scraper
- First aid kit
- Gloves, warm cap and rain gear
- Flashlight with extra batteries
Plan your trip using the following resources:
- http://traveler.modot.org/map/
- https://www.idrivearkansas.com/
- https://ok.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=023e821ebf7b4acd999ccfd58d92c3da
- http://www.kandrive.org/kandrive
- https://hb.511ia.org/
- http://idot.illinois.gov/travel-information/index
- https://smartway.tn.gov/
We hope you travel safely and enjoy your time away from campus. We look forward to you returning to finish the semester.
There is a smell of natural gas in the area around National Avenue and Trafficway due to gas main break. The smell from this break is noticeable as far as Kentwood Hall. There is not a threat to Kentwood or other parts of campus.