WashU Emergency Management

Friday is here—and so is a full season of campus events, fall celebrations and evenings out with friends.

Before heading out, open the WashU Safe app and use Friend Walk to share your journey with someone you trust. It is one more way to stay connected while moving around campus.

Enjoy your plans. Look out for one another. Take safer steps.

Fall plans. Safer steps. Together, we are WashU Ready.

Today, WashU Emergency Management brought members of the Crisis Management Team and our campus partners together for scenario-based training.

Participants practiced working through a university emergency, building a common operating picture, identifying available resources, and developing creative solutions to complex challenges.

Training together strengthens relationships, improves coordination, and helps us better understand how we can support one another during an emergency.

Together, we are WashU Ready.

Technology continues to expand what is possible in emergency management.

During the AHEM Symposium, Nick highlighted how WashU Emergency Management uses GIS, ArcGIS, drones, and other geospatial tools to conduct risk assessments, strengthen emergency planning, and support operations before and after a disaster.

These capabilities help transform information into actionable insights—allowing emergency managers and campus leaders to better understand hazards, assess potential impacts, and make informed decisions.

We are grateful to work for an organization that values innovation and supports the professional development of its employees. Opportunities to learn from colleagues across the emergency management profession help our team bring new knowledge, technology, and practices back to campus.

Together, we are WashU Ready.

Collaboration strengthens preparedness.

This week, members of the Academic Healthcare Emergency Management (AHEM) Consortium gathered on the WashU Medical Campus for the 2026 AHEM Summit.
AHEM is a national forum bringing together leaders in academic healthcare emergency management to strengthen health system resilience through collaboration, shared resources, and best practices. Its 15 member organizations represent academic healthcare systems across the country, including BJC HealthCare, Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medicine, NYU Langone Health, and others.

Over two days, participants engaged in discussions and activities focused on program management, data management and best practices, workgroup planning, healthcare preparedness, and a medical surge simulation. The summit also included a BJC HealthCare, WashU Medicine and Children's Hospital program review and a tour of the Medical Centers.

The conversations, networking, lessons learned, and exchange of ideas are what make opportunities like this so valuable. Emergency management is built on relationships—and bringing professionals together from across the country gives everyone new ideas and practices to take back to their organizations.

The WashU Emergency Management team was thrilled to assist with coordination and logistics and to help welcome AHEM members to St. Louis and the WashU Medical Campus.

Thank you to everyone who participated, shared their expertise, and helped make the 2026 Summit a success!

Together, we strengthen preparedness. Together, we are WashU Ready.

Learn more about the consortium: Academic Healthcare Emergency Management Consortium https://ahemconsortium.org

🍂 Fall begins tomorrow!

In Missouri, a change in season can bring rapidly changing weather. A warm, sunny afternoon can quickly become a chilly evening—and thunderstorms, strong winds, heavy rain, flash flooding, fog and even early-season cold are all possible.

Prepare for changing conditions:

🍁 Tune In: Check the forecast and monitor official WashU emergency alerts.
📱 Learn More: Download the WashU Safe app for emergency information and campus resources.
👀 Look Around: Identify safe locations in the buildings where you live, work and learn. Remember that severe weather can occur during any season.
✅ Take Action: Dress in layers, carry rain gear, allow extra travel time and keep basic emergency supplies in your vehicle and residence.

As daylight hours grow shorter, stay alert when walking, biking or driving—and never walk or drive through floodwater.
Missouri weather can change quickly. Stay weather aware and be ready to adjust your plans.

Together, we are .

Today, we pause to remember September 11, 2001.

We honor the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the first responders, emergency personnel, public safety professionals, healthcare workers, volunteers, and countless others who answered the call to serve.

September 11 also profoundly changed the emergency management profession. The lessons learned from that day continue to shape how we prepare, communicate, coordinate, and work together to protect our communities.

For those of us who serve in emergency management, today is both a day of remembrance and a reminder of the responsibility entrusted to us.

We remember. We honor. We continue to serve.

It is Well-Being Wednesday! Preparedness is wellness.

Knowing where to find trusted information, understanding what to do during an emergency and having a plan can reduce uncertainty and provide peace of mind.

Take a few minutes today to prepare for tomorrow. Small, preventive actions can help you feel more confident, support your well-being and strengthen our entire WashU community.

Together, we are WashUReady.

Happy Labor Day from WashU Emergency Management!

Today, we recognize the dedication and contributions of everyone who helps make our campus community stronger, safer and more resilient.

Whether you are working, traveling or enjoying time with family and friends, we wish you a safe and restful holiday.

Together, we are WashU Ready!

During National Preparedness Month, take a few minutes to make sure you can receive important emergency information and know where to turn for official updates.

✔️ Check your emergency alert information
✔️ Download the WashU Safe app
✔️ Know your trusted sources for emergency information

Preparedness starts before an emergency happens. A few simple steps today can make a big difference when it matters most.

Stand ready for yourself. Stand ready for each other. Stand ready for WashU.

Together, we are WashUReady.

September is National Preparedness Month—a time to take small steps that can make a big difference when an emergency happens.

This year's national theme, “Americans Stand Ready,” reminds us that preparedness is everyone's responsibility.

At WashU, we're making it personal:
🔴 Stand ready for yourself.
⚪ Stand ready for each other.
🔴 Stand ready for WashU.

Because preparedness isn't just about what happens during an emergency.
It's about what we do before it happens.

Together, we are WashUReady.

https://www.ready.gov/stand-ready | emergency.washu.edu