Campus Emergencies, Power Outages, and AlertMedia (EMNS)

AlertMedia is our Emergency Mass Notification System that can send recorded phone messages and texts to all residents whose phone numbers are on record, which is now updated automatically daily. Not all Alerts are Campus-wide, they may be limited to the area of the circumstance (Building, Floor). The Phone number that will deliver these messages is 410-632-6424.

During power outages, if your landline phone requires electricity, IT WILL NOT WORK. Phones which are connected to a phone jack in the wall (photo A), and do not require electricity to function, will work when the power is out. Keeping a standard, corded phone available can be a lifeline simply by hooking it up to a phone jack (photo B). These particular phones can be purchased online, in local retail outlets for under $20 for those who may need one.

Wireless phones are powered by electricity and connected to your phone outlet and will not work as the unit that plugs into the phone socket (the base station) also requires the power to operate and does not tend to have a battery backup (photo C).

A fully charged cell phone will work during power outages. And, if correctly listed on AlertMedia, you will receive text messages, and maybe phone calls.

One important preparedness step is to put together an old-fashioned contact book so that when your cell phone is drained of power, you have phone numbers for loved ones available for you to call.

Now, in case you do not hear the AlertMedia message in its entirety or your voice mail message was cut off, call the Alert Line at 410-314-7944 to hear the message. If you learn later that there was an AlertMedia notification, and your phone records indicate you did not get the call, you may contact General Services to have them verify if the call was made and to which phone number of yours was dialed. If your phone records need to be changed, call Deanna Booker, Resident Life Asst. ext. 8230 to update.

All of this emergency info, including phone numbers, is readily available at the bottom of the ccicharlestown.org Home Page.

Submitted by Charlie Eichenlaub