Emergency Management

The Office of Emergency Management is committed to helping students with disabilities be better prepared for an emergency. We highly recommend that students visit the UConn Center for Students with Disabilities website and register with MyAccess.

Students with access and functional needs should have a plan, that includes family and friends, established prior to an emergency event. This plan should include communication plans, meet-up locations, sheltering, any necessary medications, and other special accommodations that may be important during an emergency.

For students with a mobility impairment, have a plan in place in the event of an evacuation and practice it. If possible, always take note of where the areas of refuge are in the different buildings. Our Emergency Hazard Guide on evacuation has special considerations for those with access and functional needs.

Individuals with service or emotional support animals are encouraged to develop an emergency evacuation plan with consideration for their animal. In the event of an emergency, emergency responders will make every effort to keep the service or emotional support animal and its handler together; however, the responder’s priority must be the individual, which may necessitate leaving the animal behind in certain emergency evacuation situations.

Students living on the Storrs and Stamford campuses with mobility impairments should contact Residential Life or the Division of University Safety with their location. This includes students with non-permanent mobility impairments, such as a broken leg. If there is an event that requires evacuation in your building, emergency personnel may know where they can likely locate you during a search and assist with your escape. With any actual emergency, if you are trapped, you should call 911 and report your location, just as you would if you were in a hotel, to ensure that crews attempt to locate you immediately.

The Office of Emergency Management webpage uses Google Translate. This allows our site to be translated into about 80 different languages. When creating University plans and implementing procedures, the Office of Emergency Management always considers the approximately 2,500 international students that call UConn home. The University is working to minimize the language barrier among international students/faculty and the Division of University Safety.

We encourage all international students to review the Office of Global Affairs online resources.

Remember that emergency services in the United States may operate differently than your home country. If you have an Emergency in the United States, call 911 to get help. 911 should only be used for emergency calls. We encourage all international students and faculty members to review the UConn Emergency Hazard Guide so you may be better prepared for an emergency while you are on campus.

Studying abroad is an exciting experience! At the Division of University Safety, we are committed to helping keep the entire Husky community safe, including our Huskies abroad. When deciding where to study, we encourage students to thoroughly weigh all the “pros and cons” of a particular location. Remember to work with the Office of Global Affairs to determine the various risk factors associated with different countries.

Here are some general safety tips, provided by the Office of Global Affairs website:

• Avoid poorly lit places and walking alone.
• Don’t carry valuables, even in a backpack, or locked luggage. If you must carry cameras, radios, etc., don’t leave them unattended.
• Don’t flaunt wallets, purses, or cameras. Wear a money belt concealed under clothing.
• Use alcohol sparingly and be aware that drinking even a small amount could increase your vulnerability to crime. Drink responsibly!
• Leave expensive or expensive-looking jewelry at home.
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Avoid political demonstrations, large crowds, and gatherings.
• Let Resident Director and/or on-site staff know if you are traveling during, before or after the program.
• Integrate into the host culture as much as possible – clothing, mannerisms, language.
• Be careful to not give out information about your group to strangers (i.e., don’t carelessly discard information about your classmates’ addresses & telephone numbers).
• Have phone numbers of program contacts handy at all times.
• Know how to reach a doctor, a hospital or clinic, and the police in the country in which you are traveling.
• Have sufficient funds or a credit card on hand for emergencies.

Please visit the Office of Global Affairs Health and Safety web page for more information and emergency contacts.

Register your trip with the Department of State’s Smart Travel Enrollment Program.

Regional campus safety is a top priority for the University of Connecticut. Special consideration and planning are given to ensure that we fulfill that priority. The Division of University Safety has mutual aid agreements with the departments surrounding each campus to ensure that UConn students have access to high quality emergency services when they need them. UConn Police Department stations Police Officers at the Greater Hartford, Law School, Avery Point, Stamford and Waterbury campuses.

If there is an emergency at a regional campus, immediately dial 911 on your cell phone. If you are using a campus landline phone, dial 8-911. Our Regional Campus Emergency Contacts can assist in an emergency. Please see our Regional Campus Emergency Contacts, select your campus, and know the numbers provided.

When commuting to any campus, be aware of weather conditions. If the decision is made to keep the campus open in uncertain weather conditions, faculty, staff and students should evaluate their safety first in deciding whether or not to come to campus. Road conditions can vary widely across the State.

If you have any questions about regional campus safety programs, please call the Office of Emergency Management at 860-486-4800.

When deciding to live off-campus, make sure you connect with UConn’s Off-Campus Student Services (OCSS) at offcampus.uconn.edu. OCSS serves as an advocate for students and centralized resource for off-campus living.

OCSS Contact Information
Student Union, Room 315
Phone: (860) 486-8006
Email: offcampus@uconn.edu

Specifically, be sure to review the OCSS Healthy & Safety page and Fire Safety page.

When commuting to any campus, be aware of weather conditions. If the decision is made to keep the campus open in uncertain weather conditions, students should evaluate their safety first in deciding whether or not to come to campus. Road conditions can vary widely across the State.