Make an evacuation plan with your student
Although unlikely, in certain disaster situations it could become necessary to evacuate campus. Messiah University expects each student and family to have a personal evacuation plan. We strongly encourage you to sit down and create such a plan so that if disaster strikes, you and your child are well prepared.
Together with your student, determine the most practical means by which your student could leave campus.
- In their own personal car. Do they have room to transport and house any additional students who might need a ride and place to stay because their family lives far away?
- With a friend. Identify together who that person is and where they live. Maybe swap phone numbers with that student’s family so you can be in touch during or after the evacuation.
- Pick your child up. This only works well if you, a relative or family friend live within 100 miles or less of campus.
If none of these options are feasible, the Crisis Management Team can help students make alternate arrangements. Be mindful though, this option is really intended as a last resort for international students and individuals very far from home, not for students who failed to plan in advance.
Of course, none of us can begin to predict all the details of a situation that would warrant a campus evacuation, so we recognize that even the best-laid plans could be challenged by road closures, mandates from authorities or the sheer magnitude of the emergency. We commit to working with you and your student to alter your plans, if necessary. The safety of students is an utmost priority at all times.