Parents and Family

Sending your loved one off to college is frightening, unnerving, and exciting all at the same time. We know this may be the first time your child is leaving home and that college can be just as tough–if not harder–on parents/guardians than on the students. UNC has developed plans to ensure that the University is better prepared for any disaster. While no one can prevent every disaster from striking, we can mitigate our risk and prepare for them. We are committed to the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and community.

Despite our best efforts, it is impossible to prevent and predict every emergency that could occur. We rely on our students’ personal preparedness for various emergencies that may occur on or around campus. It is important that you talk to your student about the increased responsibility for personal safety that she or he will assume while living in Chapel Hill. We call this being Carolina Ready.

Prepare Before an Emergency

• We strongly encourage you to make a communication plan with your student that you can enact in the event of an emergency. Know how to contact each other.
• Review the Make a Plan page with your student. Create a plan together so everyone understands how to communicate and reunite with each other.
• Encourage your student to sign up for Alert Carolina, read Emergency Procedures, and participate in preparedness activities throughout the semester.
• Parents should also know where to receive Alert Carolina messages, including UNC’s Safety App, Alert Carolina website, and Twitter handle @AlertCarolina.

During an Emergency

• Obtain accurate information from verified sources via Alert Carolina and the unc.edu homepage.
• Do not panic if you cannot reach your child. Following a large-scale emergency cell phones do not usually work.
• Unless directed to do so, do not come to campus during an emergency as additional individuals and traffic on campus will inhibit response efforts.