UKPD encourages community to update UK Alert settings ahead of tornado drill
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 23, 2023) — As part of Severe Weather Awareness Week, the University of Kentucky will participate in Kentucky Emergency Management's 2023 Statewide Tornado Safety Drill Wednesday, March 1, at approximately 10:07 a.m. EST.
UK Police Division of Crisis Management and Preparedness will utilize the campus emergency notification system, UK Alert, to issue a university-wide tornado drill message saying: “URGENT. This is a drill. The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for the Lexington area until 10:13 a.m. This is only a drill.”
This is an opportunity to test all alert methods through the emergency notification system in the case of class cancelation, severe weather and crimes on campus requiring immediate action.
“We believe preparedness is the best form of prevention,” said UK Police Chief Joe Monroe. “The drill will allow us to better understand how our community uses UK Alert so we can best serve and protect students, faculty and staff in the event of an emergency.”
Alert methods include text, email (to all @uky addresses), mobile phone calls, VoIP Phones, indoor speakers, outdoor speakers (blue emergency phone towers), the UK website home page (uky.edu), as well as the university's main Twitter and Facebook accounts.
UKPD encourages all members of the community to sign up to receive voice calls through UK Alert. You can do so by following these steps:
- Log into myUK and click “UK Alerts.”
- Click “Add” under “Mobile Phones.”
- Enter your mobile number in the box provided. Your phone number will not be shared.
- Make sure to check “Enable Voice Message Delivery” underneath the box. This will ensure you receive a phone call should a UK Alert be issued.
- UK Alert calls will come from the phone number 859-257-9000. Add this to your contact list as “UK Alert” to ensure you recognize the calls.
For more information on UK Alert, individuals can visit this webpage or their myUK portal and click on “UK Alert.”
Students, faculty and staff also are encouraged to download the LiveSafe app for a quick, convenient and discreet way to communicate directly with or report threats to UKPD.
For any questions or concerns regarding this drill, please contact the UK Division of Crisis Management and Preparedness at CMP@uky.edu.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.