Stay Informed

All students should sign up for ISU Emergency Alert, the University's emergency notification and warning system, learn about the range of emergencies that are most likely to occur in our area, and download the ISU App  and the BirdWatch guide within the app. The BirdWatch guide allows students to:

• Access the Campus Emergency Guide
• Make a safety or crime report
• Find important public safety phone numbers
• Reach campus Care Teams
• Link to campus crime statistics and reports

Read and understand the ISU Emergency Management Plan

Build a Kit and Plan

In case of an emergency, you should be prepared to be self-sufficient for up to 72 hours. A personal kit, in a backpack, should be ready to go in a moments notice; we encourage you to build a kit for your home and car. Water, food, medications, and batteries in both kits should be checked and replaced often. 

Your family, friends, and roommates may not be together when an emergency happens, so it is important to plan in advance. 
Plan to stay or go: depending on your circumstances and the nature of the emergency, the first important decision is whether you stay where you are or evacuate. You should plan for both possibilities. 
Download, edit, and distribute an Emergency Planning Handbook which should be used between friends and roommates as well.

Be Prepared

Students are encouraged to always be prepared for any emergency.

• Carry a phone charger in your backpack
• Carry an emergency $20 for situations when the Debit/Cred Card system is off-line
• Build and have emergency kits ready to go
• Have a personal plan with roommates, friends, and family that identifies communications and rendezvous points in an emergency

ISU takes active shooter/aggressor preparedness seriously. In addition to information found in the BirdWatch Guide and in Flip Charts around campus, we present a number of on-campus training sessions. In addition, our friends at Ohio State University produced a 6-minute active shooter preparedness video, which mirrors how the Illinois State University community should respond.

Winter Weather

• Take steps to prevent frozen water pipes
• Prepare your vehicle for the winter
  • Check wipers, tires, lights, and fluid levels often
  • Keep a winter storm kit in your car
  • Avoid driving in extreme winter conditions
• Stay indoors when possible
• Dress appropriately with layers if you need to go outside 
• Keep extra blankets at home and in your car

If your vehicle is stranded, pull as far off the road as possible and stay inside unless you see a building nearby. Make sure the exhaust pipe is not blocked by snow, and then run the engine and heater about 10 minutes each hour to keep warm.  Turn on the dome light at night when running the engine.  When the engine is running, open a window slightly for ventilation.  Periodically clear away snow from the exhaust pipe. 

Heat and Humidity

• Stay indoors with air conditioning on when possible
• Reduce, eliminate or reschedule strenuous activities until the coolest time of the day.
• Wear sun screen and a hat if you need to go outside and avoid direct exposure to the sun
• Keep hydrated; drink lots of water and avoid drinks with caffeine, alcohol, and sugar
• Don't leave valuable electronic equipment, such as cell phones and gps units, sitting in hot cars.