UF prepares to test emergency notification system on Wednesday

October 27, 2009

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida will conduct a test of its emergency notification system at noon Wednesday.

Messages will be sent to students, faculty and staff via text messaging, mass e-mail and a posting on the UF homepage. Notes also will be posted to the UF Facebook page and Twitter accounts telling users to go to the homepage for a message.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to update their emergency contact information in MyUFL. Updates can be made at MyUFL, then by clicking on My Account and Update Emergency Contact. Everyone is encouraged to add the five-digit number “23177” to his or her cell phone contact list and name it “UFAlert.” This will assist in identifying future, authorized UF text messages on your mobile phone.

If you don’t receive a text message but have previously entered your information in MyUFL, text “SUBSCRIBE UFAlert” to 23177, and registered UF subscribers will receive a text message indicating their cell number is in the system.

The emergency text messaging system is used only in cases where a threat is confirmed and has the potential to affect the entire campus. In the event of an emergency or disaster affecting campus, the UF Homepage is the official source of UF emergency-related information.