Editor’s Note: As of June 30, 2019, Case Western Reserve uses Rave Guardian. CWRU Shield is no longer active and should be deleted from all mobile devices. Download Rave Guardian on the App Store and Google Play.
September is National Preparedness Month, so we’re partnering with the Office of Emergency Management and Office of Business Continuity to help the Case Western Reserve University community be more prepared in the event of an emergency. Each week, we will highlight a specific theme, as outlined by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
In order to be prepared in the event of an emergency, it’s important to create and practice a plan.
FEMA suggests individuals:
- Make an emergency plan;
- Sign up for alerts and warnings in their area; and
- Learn their evacuation zone and have an evacuation plan.
How to be prepared
Members of the community should make and practice plans for their home and also on campus. Each campus building and school has a specific emergency action plan.
Additionally, individuals should develop plans to keep themselves safe at home, whether they live in a house, apartment or residence hall.
To stay abreast of emergency situations at Case Western Reserve, all members of the university community should ensure their information is updated in Rave, the mass notification system used at CWRU. All individuals with CWRU network IDs automatically receive notifications via their university email and landline phones. However, individuals should sign up to have notifications sent to their personal cellular phone or to a personal email. To learn how to do so, visit the Rave Alerts page on the Public Safety website.
Individuals also should download CWRU Shield, an app that offers emergency calling, a feature to let friends know if you may need help, non-emergency tip reporting, a campus map, and options to connect with Safe Ride, campus resources and mental health counselors. Learn more about CWRU Shield.
CWRU expert take
We asked Megan Koeth, Case Western Reserve University’s emergency manager, what the community should know about making and practicing a plan.
Information you need
While on campus, it is important to familiarize yourself with your building or residence hall’s evacuation routes and assembly points. If there is someone in your residence hall or office who may require additional assistance, offer to be their buddy if a disaster occurs.
You also should know where the closest automated external defibrillator (AED) is to your office or residence hall. If you don’t have an AED in your building, you can use the CWRU Shield app to find one closest to you.
When on campus, it is important to remember to call 216.368.3333 in times of emergencies. However, on your commute to and from work, it is vital to know where you are if you need to call 911 from a cell phone so your call can be routed to the closest jurisdiction.
Know your risks
On campus, the Office of Emergency Management completes a Hazard Vulnerability Assessment to determine which events likely could impact our campus—or determine which ones have a lower probability but would have a major impact.
You should do the same at home. First, you need to determine what types of risk you face. For example, you should be familiar with which natural disasters your community has a risk for. Is it flooding because of a neighboring creek or river? Is it basement backup because of poor city infrastructure? Are you at a higher risk for a tornado?
Emergencies can happen anywhere at any time, such as house fires. Knowing how to respond to an emergency can decrease its impact on you and your family.
Next steps
Here are some simple steps from the American Red Cross that you can do today to help your family in times of an emergency,
- Consider two meet-up places—one right outside of your house that you can evacuate to in case of a fire and another outside of your neighborhood, in case you cannot return home or are asked to evacuate.
- Choose an out-of-area contact person. It may be easier to text or call long distance if local phone lines are overloaded or out of service. Everyone should carry emergency contact information in writing and saved on their cell phones. Make sure places where your children spend time also have these contact numbers, like at school or daycare.
- Plan ahead for your pets. Keep a phone list of pet-friendly hotels/motels and animal shelters that are along your evacuation routes. Remember, if it’s not safe for you to stay home, it’s not safe for your pets either. Having a picture of you and your pet is great way to identify your pet if you get separated.
More resources can be found at redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies.html