September is National Preparedness Month!

September is National Preparedness Month, a nationwide observance that encourages individuals, families, organizations, and communities to take proactive steps to prepare for emergencies and disasters before they occur. Whether facing severe weather, public health emergencies, utility outages, or other unexpected incidents, preparedness helps build resilience and ensures that people know how to respond when an emergency happens.

This September, the UGA Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) is partnering with the Institute for Disaster Management (IDM) to host a series of National Preparedness Month events designed to engage the campus and local community in emergency preparedness awareness and education. Planned activities include a Disaster Game Night and a special 9/11 documentary screening, with additional events to be announced throughout the month. These programs provide opportunities to learn about preparedness in interactive and meaningful ways while reinforcing the importance of being ready for emergencies before they happen.

For event details and updates, visit the Institute for Disaster Management’s National Preparedness Month page.

UGA ALERT – OPT IN FOR SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS

The University of Georgia has updated its UGA Alert system to let users opt in to receive severe weather warnings—like thunderstorm and flash flood alerts—via text and phone call. This gives students, faculty, and staff more control over the alerts they receive.

All users will still automatically get emergency alerts from the UGA Police Department, including tornado warnings, criminal incidents, and other emergency and hazardous events that impact the entire campus. Weather alerts will also be shared via email, the UGA Safe app, social media, and the emergency.uga.edu website.

UGA encourages everyone to sign up for weather alerts specific to their campus: Athens, Griffin, Gwinnett, Tifton, or Skidaway.

The UGA Safe App is the university’s mobile safety app that offers important emergency information and resources.

Features:

• Chat with UGA Police: Users can initiate a chat session with the UGA Police when calling may not be possible. Easy to use phone links to call the UGA Police or Athens-Clarke County Police are also available.
• Mobile BlueLight: Share your location and call the UGA police. Your location sharing stays on while you move so the police know your location.
• Request a Walking Escort: UGA Police Campus Safety Ambassadors are on duty daily from 7 pm to 3 am. They are not police officers, but can provide walking escorts to students on campus.
• Friend Walk: Send your location in real time to a friend so they can watch as you walk to your destination. This feature works while riding/driving, too.
• Emergency Resources: Learn what to do in an emergency, how to share emergency information with 911, and where to shelter on campus.

Learn More