UPDATE
University police continue to investigate the reports that prompted the siren activation. No injuries are reported. Police ask the campus community to continue to remain in place and to be patient while their investigation continues.
03/23/14, 4:24 p.m.
Emergency: The University has activated the sirens. Police report an ARMED AND DANGEROUS PERSON ON OR NEAR CAMPUS.
- Go inside immediately.
- Close windows and doors.
- Stay until further notice.
- Follow directions from emergency responders or University officials.
The sirens are activated when there is a significant emergency or immediate health or safety threat to the campus community. When the sirens sound, stop classroom and campus activities; all UNC operations are temporarily suspended. Remain inside your classroom or a safe place in your building unless police or University personnel instruct you to take a specific action, such as to evacuate a building, stay out of a certain part of campus, or go to your residence hall and stay there.
The Alert Carolina website, alertcarolina.unc.edu, will be updated as soon as more information is available. It can take hours to resolve an emergency situation; updates may not be immediate.
You can let your family know you are okay in the event of an emergency affecting the Carolina campus while keeping cell phone lines open for emergency calls by using the American Red Cross Safe and Well list. The Safe and Well list is especially helpful in communicating with family members who are outside the emergency area. Go to www.redcross.org/safeandwell and follow the registration instructions.
If you see suspicious activity, call 911. But do not call 911 or the Department of Public Safety just to ask for information about the current incident. Police phone lines need to remain open for emergency communications.
When the threat is over, the sirens will sound again with a different tone to announce along with the voice message: “All clear. Resume normal activities.” Click here for an audio sample of the siren emergency tone. Click here to hear “all clear.”
When the sirens are activated – and when there is an “all clear” — the University also sends a text message to the cell phone numbers registered by students, faculty and staff in the online campus directory. The University also communicates about an emergency using sources including: campus-wide email and voice mail (for campus land lines), the Adverse Weather and Emergency Phone Line, 843-1234, for recorded information, and the University Access Channel (Chapel Hill Time Warner Cable Channel 4) along with other campus television channels.