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University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Emergency Planning and Preparedness

It can't hurt to be prepared.

Information Sources

A number of resources are available for distributing critical information and instructions to the UNL community during an emergency.

Please note that the 911 telephone number is for reporting emergencies only. Do not call 911 to try to obtain information about an emergency situation.

Your Emergency Information Sources

In the event of a major emergency affecting the campus, the administration will use one or more of the following means to communicate with the university community:

  • Public Address and Alarms
    • Alarm Bells, Tones, Amplified Voice - these systems, because of their immediacy and proximity, will be used in many potential emergency situations. (Note, these systems are not available in all buildings or all areas of campus, however, upgrades and additions are being studied.)
  • UNL Alert Emergency Notification
    • The UNL Alert system includes a service that sends emergency messages to devices and addresses you designate: cell phones (text and voice), landline phones, PDAs, two-way radios, and e-mail addresses. A UNL Alert desktop application, available for Windows and Macintosh, will display information on your computer desktop in the event of an emergency. Sign up for the service and download the app today.
  • Web Announcements
    • UNL emergency Web page - the UNL home page may switch to a text-based version to guard against server overload. In an emergency, refer to unl.edu
    • UNL Today - in most situations, UNL Today will be used to communicate with emergency information to the campus community.
  • E-Alert
    • E-mail notifications to UNL e-mail addresses through the Information Services announce system
  • Radio
    • Emergency reports may be available through KRNU 90.3 FM.

In an emergency

During an emergency situation involving the campus, UNL's main Web site may convert to a low bandwidth version, free of the majority of graphics to ease transmission and server load. The emergency Web site will be a primary mode of communication, to be continually updated.

View the UNL emergency site

During an emergency, our goal is to communicate first with those most immediately impacted; people who need to evacuate or seek medical treatment.

University Communications leads the communications response during and after emergencies, factually assessing each situation, developing the communications response, and assembling a crisis communications team. The goal is to provide accurate and timely information to minimize rumors and restore order and confidence.

During an emergency, the UNL community and general public may receive information through the Web, e-mail, telephone, and the media.

News information about current or recent emergencies on campus and updates on the University's emergency management activities. Members of the media (link to media emergency contact site) can find information 24/7. Up-to-date university information is provided at UNL Today.