HSU to test emergency system

Thursday's exercise to include texting registered cell phones

Paul Mann, Humboldt State University
9/21/09

Arcata

Humboldt State University will conduct a 15-minute test of its Emergency Alert System on Thursday, September 24, from 10:45 to 11 a.m. Thursday’s exercise will be a drill only and no evacuations will be ordered.

Special red “Test Today” signs will be posted at key locations around campus, HSU’s clock tower bells will sound from 10:45 until 11 a.m. and registered cell phones will buzz with simulated text messages.

The same signs, ringing and messaging would be used in the event of an actual emergency.

As part of the drill, University authorities encourage everyone to use three additional sources of information: via the web at http://www.humboldt.edu/emergency, by telephone recording at 707/826-INFO (4636) and by tuning in KHSU 90.5 FM.

Maximum use of these sources will enable campus administrators to evaluate the Emergency Alert System’s capacity and improve its operation as appropriate.

At the conclusion of the drill, comments on the system’s operation and effectiveness can be submitted at a dedicated web address, response@humboldt.edu.

Instructions for registering cell phones to obtain emergency text messages are available at http://www.humboldt.edu/emergency.