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Emergency & Safety

The safety of our faculty, staff, students and guests is always UNCW's top priority. To learn more about the ways the university protects Seahawk community, consult the resources below.

Emergency? call 911.

UNCW Alert

UNCW Alert emergency communication system includes multiple tools that the university may deploy during an emergency to ensure information is communicated to everyone affected. These include the university homepage, emails, text messages, social media and phone calls.

Students are automatically enrolled in this service; faculty and staff must opt in. Parents and members of the community may also register to receive notifications.

How You Get the Message

Please be sure you are relying on only official university messaging during emergency situations.

Students, Faculty & Staff

  • Mass email messages to UNCW email address
  • Mass text message to a personal cell phone. Students must opt OUT, faculty/staff must opt IN*
  • Mass voice message to a personal cell phone. Students must opt OUT, faculty/staff must opt IN*
  • Cable interruption message on all campus channels
  • Campus Channel 77 message

Information for Students & Employees

Campus, Parents & Community

Parents/Community Sign-up

UNCW Alert Messages

Planned Controlled Burn: Ev-Henwood Preserve READ MORE
University Monitoring Weather Conditions for Family Weekend READ MORE
High Risk of Rip Currents Along the East Coast from Hurricane Lee   READ MORE

Emergency Information Channels

The campus warning siren system consists of five strategically placed sirens that warn the university community to take shelter in a major emergency, such as a severe weather event like a tornado.

When you hear the siren, you should take shelter indoors in a safe location immediately. Seek information from a variety of sources such as the UNCW social media, university email or the UNCW homepage. Information will be posted as soon as it is available. Wait for an "all clear" siren or message.

Learn all about the sirens

This is the official source, along with the university’s social media feeds, of emergency information and statements/responses from the university. Other units on campus may share information posted on the homepage and via these feeds. Please be sure you are relying on only official university messaging during emergency situations.

Don’t assume something is accurate because you read about it on social media via non-UNCW sources.

Go to the UNCW homepage

Notifications are sent by email to employees and students via their campus inboxes.

Phone calls and/or text messages are sent via UNCWAlert. Students are automatically included on this distribution list, but faculty and staff must opt in.

Parents and the public may sign up for UNCWAlert notifications. After registering for this service, users will receive UNCWAlert text messages, phone calls and/or emails when they are issued by the university to all UNCW students and to employees who have opted in for the service.

Social media, and Facebook in particular, is often the fastest way for students, employees and parents to receive updates, which are usually posted in conjunction with campus emails to students and employees. X (formerly Twitter) and UNCW Instagram often supplement the messaging found on the UNCW Facebook page.

UNCW Alert is a special website devoted to emergency updates during long-term emergencies. Users who visit UNCW's homepage during an emergency will likely be directed to the UNCW Alert site for all the latest information.

The hotline – 910.962.3991 or 888.657.5751 – is activated only in situations of a full-scale safety or weather emergency. It reflects information already available via the online resources listed above and is meant to serve those who don’t have easy web access.

Responders: Please use the link below to find information you need to assist you in an emergency involving UNCW.

See Information for Emergency Responders

 

Safety Support

Report a Crime Anonymously

LiveSafe

As part of UNCW’s continuous commitment to enhancing campus safety, the UNCW Police Department has spearheaded a partnership with LiveSafe, a security app that empowers both individuals and communities.

Learn More

Know who to call

Be Prepared

We encourage our students, faculty and staff to have a plan in the event of an emergency or severe weather. See our tips to help you be ready to respond to emergencies.

See Preparedness Tips

Know what to expect in the event of an emergency if you live or work on campus.

Learn More

Active Attacker Training

Although UNCW is a generally safe campus, we encourage students, faculty and staff to learn what to do should an active attacker be on the grounds or nearby. The UNCW Police Department offers a video training module and live classes for students, faculty, and staff.

UNCW faculty and staff are required to view the video in Percipio to receive credit for mandatory training. 

Learn More About Active Attacker Training

Health Concerns

If you or someone near you is experiencing a health emergency, call 911 immediately.

To make appointments for acute or ongoing care during regular business hours, contact the Abrons Student Health Center at 910.962.3280. After hours, please call Vitaline at 888.815.5188 to obtain medical advice from a registered nurse or other medical professionals or go to a local urgent care facility or a Novant Health emergency room.

Contact the Student Health Center

Mental and Emotional Health

As part of the Seahawk family, you never have to go it alone. We're here for you. UNCW has mental health services available to both students and employees. We can connect you to on-campus counseling services, meditation and relaxation tools, and external resources.

The campus and local community also have resources available to help anyone experiencing a mental health crisis. Don't wait – call for help.

Contact the Counseling Center

Our Office of Human Resources offers a number of services to help faculty and staff maintain a healthy work-life balance.

See Employee Work-Life Resources

Be Alert to Changes in the Weather

As a coastal university, UNCW occasionally experiences severe weather conditions, including hurricanes, tornadoes and winter storms.

Our location near the Atlantic Ocean also means our campus community loves to enjoy nearby beaches, making it important to be aware of the likelihood of dangerous rip currents.

When a weather event necessitates altering operations or closing the university, we will keep you informed through the information channels listed above. Be aware that flight and public transportation service may be interrupted if a hurricane warning is in effect.

We advise students and UNCW employees to stay abreast of changing conditions and make personal safety a priority.

Seasonal Safety

Hurricanes
Rip Currents
Winter Weather
Other Weather Events

Atlantic hurricane season is June 1-Nov. 30. the UNCW Department of Environmental Health and Safety and campus partners stress the importance of emergency procedures, campus communications awareness and the importance of personal preparedness plans. 

Hurricane Preparedness

At UNCW, we love our proximity to the ocean and all the fun and relaxation it offers! However, the ocean can also be dangerous and you should be aware of rip current hazards.

Be Alert for Rip Currents

Although the Wilmington area enjoys generally mild winters, it is not unusual to have winter storms that affect travel and the operation of campus. UNCW monitors the weather and will use the UNCWAlert System and other communication channels to update students, faculty, staff and the community if a change in campus operations, activities or class schedules will be necessary.

See More Information on Winter Weather

Learn how to avoid heat-related illness that can be brought on by the extremely hot weather that the Wilmington area experiences during the summer months.

Learn Tips to PRepare for Severe WEather

Annual Security Report

The Office of Title IX and Clery Compliance at the UNCW and the UNCW Police Department are committed to the equitable treatment of all persons and transparency of campus safety information. This Annual Security Report is published each year in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act [20 USC 1092 (f)].

This report includes statistics for the previous three years concerning certain categories of crimes that occurred on campus, in off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by UNCW and on public property within or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus.

The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, sexual misconduct, emergency response, and other matters.

A hard copy or alternative form of this report may be obtained by contacting the UNCW Police Department or the Office of Title IX and Clery Compliance.

 You may view a PDF version of the document at the link below.

Read the Annual Security Report

Annual Fire Safety Report

Regulations under the Higher Education Opportunity and Affordability Act require fire safety reporting for on-campus housing facilities at all colleges and universities. This report serves to introduce and increase fire safety awareness on college and university campuses across the nation to provide students and their families with critical fire safety information. 

Anyone may obtain a paper copy of this report or request it in a different format by contacting the Office of Title IX and Clery Compliance. You may access a PDF version of the Annual Fire Safety Report at the link below.  

Please take time to review our fire safety information, policies, and statistics. Let us know if you have any questions regarding fire safety by contacting us at 910.962.3057 or ehs@uncw.edu. 

This report parallels the University Police Department's efforts in crime prevention. 

Anyone may obtain a paper copy of this report or request it in a different format by contacting the Office of Title IX and Clery Compliance. You may access a PDF version of the Annual Fire Safety Report at the link below. 

Please take time to review our fire safety information, policies, and statistics. Let us know if you have any questions regarding fire safety by contacting us at 910.962.3057 or ehs@uncw.edu.

Read the Annual Fire Safety Report

Useful Links

University Police The UNCW Police Department, open 24 hours a day, is located on the East side of campus, on Lionfish Drive. About our Department
Emergency Management Emergency Management at UNCW is focused on emergency planning, response, recovery and mitigation for natural and manmade disasters. UNCW Emergency Management
Environmental Health & Safety We strive to make UNCW a safe, healthy, sustainable and disaster-resilient campus. Find Out How!

Building & Grounds Emergencies

The UNCW Physical Plant maintains a list of contacts in the event of an emergency involving campus buildings or grounds both during and after regular business hours.

Go to contact list 

EH&S wants to know about safety and environmental concerns on campus. Please contact us via the link below – you have the option to remain anonymous – or call 910.962.3057.

Report a Safety or Environmental Concern
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