A part of its overall emergency preparedness plan, Columbia has acquired an emergency alert system that can notify thousands of students, faculty, and staff immediately in the event of a crisis or urgent situation. Such emergencies might include imminent safety threats, unexpected building closures, or class cancellations due to inclement weather.

The system can simultaneously send alerts using email, phone calls, and text messaging. Members of the campus community have been urged to sign up for the system by providing contact information and delivery preferences. In November, the first test of the system was deemed a success, with approximately 99 percent of phone, email, and text messages successfully delivered within one to 15 minutes.