Policy: Emergency and Weather Communications
In the event of a weather event, power outage or other emergency that impacts the operation of our campus, Trinity will broadcast information to the campus community in all of the following ways:
1. Text Alerts
Text trinitydcalerts to 866-925-2949 on your cell phone and you will get instant alerts about Trinity’s status and directions in emergencies.
2. Weather Hotline and Emergency Information Telephone Number: 202-884-9009
In bad weather or any other situation that may require Trinity to cancel classes or otherwise alter operations, Trinity posts a message on the Emergency Information Telephone Number: 202-884-9009.
For snow or other weather closings, Trinity makes every effort to make the appropriate determination by 6:00 a.m. if the weather occurs overnight. Trinity also communicates with all Washington area radio and television stations so that Trinity’s status can be broadcast and listed with other schools. (Please note, however, that if Trinity is open, the broadcast media will NOT announce that fact.)
Students, faculty, staff and any other persons who want to find out Trinity’s status or learn more information in an emergency should call 202-884-9009. Please do not call security about weather closing, that ties up their lines! Call 202-884-9009 and pay attention to your texts and emails!
2. Email and Website Emergency Communications
In an emergency, Trinity also uses several other communications methods and students, faculty and staff are urged to check these sources for information:
- Trinity sends a general email to all campus email addresses if a serious situation requires extensive directions that cannot be explained in a brief voicemail message;
- For any extended emergency situation, Trinity also creates a link on the website www.trinitydc.edu and urges, students, faculty, staff, alumnae, parents and others to visit the site regularly for updates.
- If you are having an emergency that requires immediate response, please call the Security Dispatch desk at 202-884-9111 and Security will get help to the scene immediately. Security will call police/fire/rescue as needed and also will send help to the scene immediately. It’s very important to call Security for any emergency situation since our officers will help to direct the rescue response personnel to the scene — time is lost when police, fire trucks or ambulances arrive on campus but don’t have exact location information, your call to Security helps to make sure that the rescue personnel get to the right location as fast as possible.
- Trinity also maintains an emergency emailbox emergency@trinitydc.edu that can receive your messages in any situation where a phone call to Security is not possible — the messages in this mailbox are also received by all of the key campus personnel responsible for responding to emergencies.
3. Campus Locater Help for Families and Friends
When an emergency situation happens on campus or in the city of Washington, families and friends often become anxious about the safety of their relatives and friends at Trinity.
We ask all students, faculty and staff to develop an emergency contact plan with your families and friends, and please share the following information with them.
If an emergency takes place on campus or in the city of Washington, we urge every person on campus to contact your families and friends as quickly as possible to assure them of your safety. Depending upon the nature of the emergency, Trinity will make as many telephone lines and email access points available for this purpose as may be possible.
We ask students, in particular, to take extra steps to be sure that someone knows your whereabouts at all times. Please leave a message with a roommate or friend in the residence hall if you are leaving campus, especially for an extended period of time. If you commute to campus, please let a friend or co-worker know if you have a change of plans when you are supposed to be in class. Frequent communication of your plans is definitely a stress-reducer in emergencies. Additionally, you should know that federal law requires us to report a “missing person” to the police after 24 hours of attempted contacts with no response, so letting someone know that you are ok and where you are is very helpful.
Families and friends who are attempting to locate someone on Trinity’s campus may call these numbers
- Students: 202-884-9530 Office of Enrollment Services
- Students: 202-884-9611 Office of the Dean of Students
- Staff: 202-884-9120 Office of Human Resources
- Faculty: 202-884-9220 Academic Affairs
- Conference Guests: 202-884-9136 Conference Office
For other information about Trinity’s Emergency Response Plan, please visit that page on our website by clicking here: Emergency Response Plan