In the wake of the tragic events on college campuses across the country, universities have strengthened their emergency preparedness plans to prevent (if at all possible) and deal with an emergency situation—be it man-made or an act of nature. Facilitating communications among the student body, interested individuals, and media is an important part of that plan.

Each house corporation should have a well-thought out and well-communicated emergency plan. The house director and the chapter officers should be trained in its implementation, and the chapter members informed of its existence.

If you don’t have one, or feel it is out of date, the campus where you are located is a great place to start. Each campus will have emergency preparedness and implementation personnel who will be happy to share the campus plan with you and, if asked, consult with you on good ideas for your facility.

At the very minimum, the plan should include a “meeting point” and the house director should have an up-to-date listing of each resident in each room, together with her contact information. It would be a good idea if she had this in an accessible document that she could grab if a swift evacuation of the facility is necessary. When emergency personnel arrive at the scene, the first thing they will ask is “Is anyone in the house?” Having this list available and everyone at the meeting point, will make it easier to answer this question.

If you haven’t reviewed your emergency plan lately, now is the time to do so. Ask the chapter council HC members for input as well as the house director.