Emergency Management Division

Build an emergency kit with these essential disaster items to ensure your basic needs are met during the first 48-72 hours after a disaster:

• Water – one gallon per person per day for at least three to seven days
• Non-Perishable Food – at least a three to seven day supply
• Flashlight – with extra batteries
• Emergency Radio – battery-powered or hand crank
• First Aid Kit – including medication and prescription drugs for at least 2-weeks
• Fire Extinguisher
• Whistle
• Sanitizer – moist towelette or liquid
• Multi-Tool / Tool Kit
• Tarp or plastic sheeting and duct tape
• Plastic garbage bags
• Important Documents – in a weatherproof container
• Cash
• Special items for pets, infants, children, the elderly, and persons with functional needs.

Emergency plans should outline how you will get to a safe place, contact friends or loved ones, and what you will do in different emergency situations. You can find resources for developing a plan at https://www.ready.gov/.

Get to know the external assembly areas for the buildings you frequent. Dorm leadership, professors, and/or supervisors can tell you how and where to evacuate in case of an emergency.

The Campus Alert System is the comprehensive communications solution that allows Liberty University to quickly disseminate an urgent message through multiple communication mediums. If there is a condition that significantly threatens the health and safety of persons on campus, The Department of Emergency Management & Community Engagement will warn the campus community through the RAVE notification system in conjunction with other communication measures, such as the outdoor sirens, and social media.

Alerts will be sent by Liberty University Emergency Management & Community Engagement, to include but not limited to:

Additional Emergency Notification Locations:

• Official announcement on the university website: www.liberty.edu
• Liberty Public Safety Facebook
• LU Public Safety X (Twitter)
• LU Public Safety Instagram

The primary purpose for evacuating is to put distance between you and the hazard. Depending on the type of emergency, evacuation procedures may vary.

Action Guidelines

• Leave the area. Take personal items only if it’s safe to retrieve them.
• Assist individuals with disabilities
• Do not use elevators.
• Go to the designated external assembly area, unless otherwise instructed.
• Provide relevant information (e.g., unaccounted/trapped persons) to emergency responders.
• Do not return until cleared to do so by emergency responders.

The term “Shelter-in-Place” is used to refer to situations where it is safest to remain indoors rather than face uncertainty outside. Depending on the emergency, appropriate areas to shelter may vary. When sheltering, seek safety by placing barriers between you and the danger. This could include walls, rooms without windows, locked doors, and furniture.

Action Guidelines

• Find a safe location.
• Shut all doors and windows.
• Stay away from areas exposed to the threat.
• Enact barriers between you and the threat.
• Await further information from emergency responders.

Individuals with physical disabilities can prepare for emergencies before they happen by coordinating with the Office of Disability Accommodation Support (ODAS). ODAS is available to discuss emergency procedures with students and familiarize them with evacuation routes specific to their housing and classroom assignments. ODAS can be reached at (434) 592-4016 or odas@liberty.edu.

Action Guidelines

• Check on people with disabilities during an emergency.
• Ask if someone needs help before giving assistance, how you can properly provide assistance, and if any items need to accompany them.
• Do not use elevators for emergency evacuation.
• Follow the steps below based upon impairment.
   Mobility Impairment:
  • If a person cannot exit the building, ask if assistance is needed.
  • If they elect to await evacuation assistance, escort the person to the nearest stairwell or another predetermined area of refuge.
  • Some individuals with mobility impairments who are able to walk independently may be able to negotiate stairs with minor assistance.
  • Do not try to carry anyone with a mobility impairment. You could do more harm to them or yourself.
  • After you leave the building, immediately inform emergency responders of the location of the person awaiting evacuation.
  Blindness or Visual Impairment:
  • Give verbal instructions about the safest route or direction using directional terms and estimated distances.
  • Ask if assistance is needed, if so, offer your elbow and provide guidance through the evacuation route. This may be especially helpful if there is debris or a crowd. Never grasp the arm of the person you are assisting.
  • While escorting a person out of the building, explain as you are walking where you are going and what you are doing.
  Deafness, Hearing Loss, Language Difficulty:
  • Get their attention by eye contact or touch, if necessary.
  • Communicate the problem including the need to evacuate. Gesturing and pointing are helpful, but be prepared to write a brief statement if the person does not seem to understand.
  • Offer visual instructions to designate the safest route or direction by pointing toward exits or evacuation maps.
  • Offer to escort them from the building.