UGA Alert

Emergency notifications are used when there is a severe health or safety threat to the entire campus that has not been contained or controlled and when immediate action is required to stay safe (e.g. tornado warning, active shooter, chemical spill impacting public health, etc.). Emergency notifications activate all UGA Alert dissemination methods.

Timely Warnings are used when a situation on or near campus constitutes an ongoing or continuing threat to the campus community. The UGA Police Department sends timely warnings through email and through a push notification in the UGA Safe app.

A Community Notification is a notification or update about an ongoing situation. A Community Notification message is sent when there is a need to quickly update the UGA community about an ongoing situation.

If you are signed up to receive UGA Alert messages with an email address, you will automatically receive Timely Warning and  Community Notification emails when issued. You can download the UGA safe app here.

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings and Flash Flood Warnings are issued through the UGA Alert system. The message is sent to all users by email. Users can opt-in to receive voice and text messages as well by going to the Opt-in List tab in the UGA Alert portal.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warnings means that a storm capable of producing wind speeds of 58 miles per hour or greater and/or hail one inch in diameter has been spotted or indicated on radar. A Flash Flood Warning means that flooding is either occurring or expected to be imminent.

Students: Student email addresses are automatically registered in the UGA Alert system. Student cell phone numbers as listed in the Athena student information system are also automatically registered in the UGA Alert system. Students should verify their phone contact information in the Athena system. You can also change or update your communication information and preferences at the UGA Alert MyID login at the top of the page.

Faculty and Staff: Faculty and Staff email addresses are automatically registered in the UGA Alert system. Faculty and staff can verify their information and add contact information, including text or voice call numbers, using the UGA Alert MyID login at the top of the page.

On the Athens campus, UGA Alert emergency notifications or timely warnings are usually sent by the UGA Police Department. Messages can be authorized by: the UGA President, any Vice President; Chief of Police (or acting Chief of Police), and Director of Emergency Preparedness (or acting director).

UGA Alert emergency notifications are automatically activated when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning. UGA Weather Alerts will be sent when there is a Severe Thunderstorm or Flash Flood Warning. UGA Weather Alerts are sent to everyone by email and users can opt-in to receive voice and text alerts for Severe Thunderstorm Warnings and Flash Flood Warnings.

Information about UGA Alert activation at other UGA campuses can be found here.

UGA parents and campus affiliates can use the “UGA Parents and Campus Affiliates” login link at the top of the page to sign up for UGA Alert. Campus Affiliates includes spouses and dependents of UGA students, faculty, and staff; UGA retirees; contractors; visiting scholars and researchers; and others who work on the UGA campus but do not have a UGA email address.

Members of the UGA community can also sign up to receive text messages for Severe Thunderstorm and Flash Flood Warnings for the Athens campus by texting UGAStorm to 78015.

If you have any questions, reach out to the UGA Office of Emergency Preparedness at 706-542-5845 or by email at [email protected].

UGA Alert will not be used for non-emergency notifications such as lane closures, inclement weather closings, localized building emergencies, situations that have been contained or controlled, situations where a threat does not exist, rumor control, situations where notification is merely a convenience, or situations where other non-emergency communication methods are more appropriate.

Most UGA Alert notifications are issued for weather events. The number of UGA Alert notifications will vary each year with the weather.

Emergency notifications are issued 24/7 as warranted.

The UGA Office of Emergency Preparedness manages the UGA Alert system in collaboration with the UGA Police Department, UGA Marketing and Communications, and UGA Enterprise Information Technology Services.

For more information or email [email protected].

Take the message seriously and follow the instructions provided in the message to take immediate action. Additional information will be posted to www.emergency.uga.edu when available.

For voice calls, the number reflected on your caller ID will be 706-542-0111. Text messages may come from any of the following short codes: 67283, 78015, 226787, or 77295.

UGA Alert emergency notification emails will come from [email protected]. Timely warning emails will come from [email protected].

If you are registered for UGA Alert emergency notifications, you will receive alerts if issued, regardless of your location. If you are on one of the UGA extended campuses (Griffin, Gwinnett, Tifton, Skidaway), you are encouraged to opt in to receive alerts for your extended campus when you login to the UGA Alert system.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warnings means that a storm capable of producing wind speeds of 58 miles per hour or greater and/or hail one inch in diameter has been spotted or indicated on radar.

• At Your Residence Hall: Avoid windows if possible, and consider sheltering in secure locations such as hallways and restrooms.
• At Your House: Go to your secure location, ideally an interior room on the lowest level.
• At Your Workplace or School: Avoid windows and avoid large open rooms such as cafeterias, gymnasiums or auditoriums if possible.
• Outside: Go inside a sturdy building immediately if severe thunderstorms are approaching. Sheds and storage facilities are not safe. Taking shelter under a tree can be deadly. The tree may fall on you. Standing under a tree also puts you at a greater risk of getting struck by lightning.
• In a Vehicle: Being in a vehicle during severe thunderstorms is safer than being outside; however, drive to the closest secure shelter if there is sufficient time.

A Flash Flood Warning means that flooding is either occurring or expected to be imminent.

During a flood, water levels and the rate the water is flowing can change quickly. Avoid flood waters and evacuate immediately when the water starts to rise. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to use your judgement to take action to keep yourself safe if you are in the warning area.

Some actions you can take to stay safe during a flash flood include:

• Get to higher ground if you are in a flood prone or low lying area.
• If told to evacuate, obey evacuation orders immediately.
• Practice electrical safety by staying out of water that may have electricity flowing in it. If you see sparks or hear buzzing, crackling, snapping, or popping noises from electrical fixtures or devices, get out.
• Avoid flood waters. It only takes 6 inches of moving water to knock you off your feet. Do not drive through flooded roadways or around barricades. A vehicle can be swept away by as little as 18 inches of swiftly moving water.

UGA Alert is tested twice a year—during the February statewide severe weather drill and again near the beginning of the fall semester during the UGA evacuation drill.

UGA parents and campus affiliates must login to their profile and choose to stop receiving messages.

UGA students, faculty, and staff are automatically purged from the system based on their status as provided by the UGA Identity Management System (https://eits.uga.edu/_resources/error_docs/idm/).

To ensure you receive UGA Alert emergency calls, EITS recommends giving the UGA Alert number (706-542-0111) priority access in the Teams Phone application on your desktop, laptop or mobile phone.

You can find instructions for this process on the EITS Knowledge Base – How to allow emergency numbers to call you while in a meeting or on Do Not Disturb.

Completing the steps outlined in the Knowledge Base article and giving the UGA Alert number priority access will ensure you will receive UGA Alert emergency calls, even when you are in meetings or have your Teams Phone set to Do Not Disturb.

Call the UGA Office of Emergency Preparedness at 706-542-5845 or email [email protected]. You can also visit www.prepare.uga.edu.