University of Mary Washington to participate in test of alert system for severe weather

Severe Weather Awareness Week for Virginia is March 4 to 8, 2024.

The National Weather Service encourages emergency management, public safety officials, local media and Weather-Ready Nation Ambassadors to join forces in improving the nation’s readiness, responsiveness and overall resilience against severe weather during the upcoming season.

The University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg will activate UMW Alerts and tests its emergency notification system as part of the statewide tornado drill on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at 9:45 a.m.

The test may include text messages, emails, desktop alerts, phone calls and sirens or messages from the area warning system on UMW’s campus. The spring semester test coincides with spring break and will reach devices on and off campus.

Students, faculty and staff are automatically enrolled in UMW Alerts with contact information registered with the university, including UMW email address and cell phone number. The university adds new community members weekly and resets the system with all current community members on the first day of classes for the fall semester. Community members can update their information at any time by visiting the Emergency Alerts website.

Severe Weather Awareness Week is designed to refresh, remind and educate everyone about the seasonal threats from severe weather and how to plan and prepare. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management partners with the National Weather Service to promote Severe Weather Awareness Week. Each day of the week covers a different topic, including preparedness tips and ways to stay safe during severe weather.