Here’s what you need to know about Emergency Notifications and Security Alerts

There are a few different types of alerts which originate from UT Police that you should know about: Emergency Notifications, Timely Warnings and Safety Bulletins.

Emergency Notifications

The Risk Operations Center sends Emergency Notifications (or emergency alerts) to the campus community through the Everbridge system. These are the automated calls or text messages that are sent to cell phones of employees, students, and faculty at UTHealth and/or MD Anderson. Emergency Notifications are triggered by a broad range of potential threats and are required by the Clery Act. Broadly, Emergency Notifications include significant emergency or dangerous situations, such as weather emergencies and active shooter situations. For more on the Clery Act and responsibilities of academic institutions, visit https://www.clerycenter.org/the-clery-act.

It is important that MD Anderson can reach you during severe weather or other emergencies by keeping your information updated in myHR (credentials required). Additionally, there are a number of internal resources that MD Anderson employees can use to stay updated:

• MD Anderson Emergency Alert Site
• Operational Status Indicator
• MD Anderson Employee Mobile App (credentials required)

UTHealth Houston ALERT is the university’s emergency text messaging system used to rapidly notify the campus community about events of imminent threat, crisis, harm or campus status changes. Make sure you’re enrolled and contact information is up to date. UTHealth Houston employees can also stay connected and receive the latest campus emergency notifications and status updates in the following ways:

• University-issued email
• The university’s intranet, Inside UTHealth Houston
• UTHealth Houston Emergency website
• UTHealth Houston’s official Facebook page
• and the UTHealth Houston X account.

Timely Warnings

The Clery Act also requires UT Police to distribute Timely Warnings. Timely Warnings are triggered when a crime — such as a robbery, sex offense, or homicide — presents a serious or continuing threat to students and employees. Timely Warnings aim to provide information to protect individuals and hopefully prevent them from becoming victims of crime. Some emergency notifications require a Timely Warning to be issued. For example, an active shooter situation on campus would require both an Emergency Notification and a Timely Warning.

Refer to MD Anderson's or UTHealth Houston’s processes for emergency text alerts and emergency notifications (see above).

Safety Bulletins and Advisories

Safety Bulletins or advisories are distributed to community members who subscribe to the UT Police email distribution list to heighten awareness about certain crimes or crime trends in the area that may present a threat to the community. The intent of Safety Bulletins is to alert the community of continuing threats and risks to safety. UT Police also issues Safety Bulletins with information on the wide range of programming and services offered to the community, including safety classes and general tips on maintaining safety.

To subscribe to the UT Police distribution list, or to view a detailed list of programs and services, visit our Campus Safety information.