Frequently
Asked
Questions
Manage Notifications
These FAQs answer commonly asked TechAlert questions. For general questions or technical assistance with TechAlert, contact Texas Tech University IT Help Central at (806) 742-HELP or techalert@ttu.edu.
About TechAlert
The TechAlert system will only be used to reach you in the event of a campus or regional emergency. It is not intended as a personal emergency contact listing to notify family or significant others if you become ill or injured at work/school.
- Avoid Area – Keep a safe distance.
- Stay away from a specific campus location(s).
- Example emergencies: vehicle accident, flooding, fire, bomb threat, chemical spill
- Evacuate – Move to safety.
- Quickly exit the specified location(s) and move to a safe place.
- Example emergencies: fire, bomb threat, chemical spill, explosion, gas leak
- Lockdown – Secure in place.
- Stay indoors or find refuge in a lockable room, turn off lights, close shades/blinds, stay low and out-of-sight, silence electronics, and await an "all clear" message.
- If you see or hear an active threat, AVOID. DENY. DEFEND.
- AVOID. - Create distance between you and the threat.
- DENY. - Barricade or block entry.
- DEFEND. - Be prepared to defend yourself.
- Example emergencies: active shooter, armed individual
- Shelter-in-place – Find safety.
- Hazard – Move or stay indoors. Take shelter in an interior room with no or few windows.
- Example emergencies: unknown threat, chemical, nuclear, or biological hazard
- Weather - If no basement is available, go to a lower-floor interior room, like a bathroom or closet. Stay away from windows.
- Example emergencies: tornado warning, severe thunderstorm warning
Variations in delivery times are common for large organizations sending mass communications. Texas Tech dispatches alerts to over 53,700 recipients. We are continuously working to enhance the efficiency of our system. Your safety is our foremost concern, and we are committed to improving our emergency communication methods as technology advances.
We strive to include as much information as possible within our alerts. Due to character limits on text messages and Twitter, messages must be abbreviated. The full TechAlert messages are available in your ttu.edu email and the TechAlert website.
We aim to issue a TechAlert update every 20 minutes, even if there is no new information. These updates, complete with timestamps, are available on the TechAlert website.
TechAlert messages are instructions to keep the campus community safe during emergency situations. The goal is to provide direct, clear, brief messages so the community can quickly follow instructions.
Depending on the situation, follow-up TechAlert messages will follow approximately every 15-20 minutes to provide a status update, even if additional information isnt available. You should continue to follow the last message instructions until you receive a TechAlert message instructing otherwise.
TechAlert will send an “All Clear” message once the emergency is concluded.
Privacy
No, your information is only used for notification in the event of a campus or regional emergency.
Students, faculty, and staff will receive emergency notifications applicable to their primary location (i.e., Lubbock). You may receive emergency notifications relevant to a Texas Tech University regional site by selecting an alternate location.
The system will only be used to reach you in the event of a campus or regional crisis, as defined by university officials.
TechAlert notifications communicate Clery Act crime alerts and other emergency notifications to students, faculty, staff, and on-campus partners.
Contact Information & Preferences
You may change your information as often as necessary by visiting ttu.edu/emergencyalert.
You may not have the correct phone number in the TechAlert emergency notification system. Update your contact information at ttu.edu/emergencyalert by using your eRaider username and password to log in.
Yes, you will receive email notification in the event of an emergency. Additionally, you can select to be notified by phone call and text messaging. TTY/TDD messaging is available for the hearing impaired.
Parents
Your student can add up to four numbers into the TechAlert system. They may update all contact information at ttu.edu/emergencyalert by using their eRaider username and password. Family members may also view active alerts at:
School of Veterinary Medicine
Yes, all Texas Tech University community members, regardless of location, will receive TechAlert notifications for critical situations that might affect them directly or indirectly. Update your contact information and preferences at ttu.edu/emergencyalert and log in with your eRaider username and password.
School of Veterinary Medicine students/faculty/staff will receive STAT!Alert notifications from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) if there is an emergency at either the School of Veterinary Medicine campus or the TTUHSC Amarillo campus.
Update your contact information for STAT!Alert with these steps:
- Login to Raiderlink with your eRaider username and password.
- Select “My Personal Information,” the first icon in the top black bar.
- The next screen will ask you to “Verify Your Identity” through voice call or text message.
- Your “Personal Information” screen will be next, where you may add/edit phone numbers.
Texas Tech University (TTU) uses TechAlert, and Texas Tech University Health Science Center (TTUHSC) uses STAT!Alert to send important messages via email, phone, and text about emergencies, weather delays, and class cancellations.
The School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) students/faculty/staff may receive TTUHSC STAT!Alert notifications about cancellations and delays if the TTUHSC Amarillo and School of Veterinary Medicine campuses both delay or cancel classes. If SVM leadership makes a different decision, SVM will communicate plans directly with their community via email.
School of Veterinary Medicine students/faculty/staff will receive STAT!Alert weather notifications from TTUHSC.
Update your contact information for STAT!Alert with these steps:
- Login to Raiderlink with your eRaider username and password.
- Select “My Personal Information,” the first icon in the top black bar.
- The next screen will ask you to “Verify Your Identity” through voice call or text message.
- Your “Personal Information” screen will be next, where you may add/edit phone numbers.
For TechAlert, update your contact information and preferences at ttu.edu/emergencyalert and log in with your eRaider username and password.
For STAT!Alert local severe weather and emergencies, update your contact information using these steps:
- Login to Raiderlink with your eRaider username and password.
- Select “My Personal Information,” the first icon in the top black bar.
- The next screen will ask you to “Verify Your Identity” through voice call or text message.
- Your “Personal Information” screen will be next, where you may add/edit phone numbers.
Text Messages
Yes, you can designate one of your contact numbers to receive TechAlert notifications via text message. You may update your preferences at ttu.edu/emergencyalert.
You may opt out of all emergency notifications except for email. Change your alert preferences and update contact information at ttu.edu/emergencyalert by logging in with your eRaider credentials.
After you select a phone listing where you would like to receive text messaging, the TechAlert system will automatically send a text message to your mobile phone to confirm your request. You will receive the confirmation message within 3 business days.
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If your service provider uses SMS-based text messaging, you will receive the following
confirmation text message from sender 23177 or 63079 within 3 business days: Texas
Tech:
“You are now confirmed to receive alerts from us. More info text reply “HELP” or “STOP ttu” to opt-out.” -
If your service provider uses email/smtp text messaging, you will receive the following
confirmation message within 3 business days:
“You are now confirmed to receive alerts from us. No reply is required from you at this time. Thank you.”
Please check with your mobile phone provider to see if your device accepts text messages. You can also check with your provider to see if text messaging has been enabled. You may need to subscribe to a text messaging plan to receive or reply to text messages.
To receive text messages, your phone and phone service must be enabled for SMS text messaging.
- No. If your SMS phone was already submitted to our TechAlert emergency notification system, you should be confirmed to receive SMS alerts from us.
- However, you may also test to find out by texting the word “SUBSCRIBE” to 23177 or 63079 and you will receive a reply with the following: Texas Tech: “This phone number has already been opted in. More info text reply “HELP” or “STOP ttu” to opt-out”
Email Notifications
Yes, emails are sent only to your provided Texas Tech University email account. The system does not support email addresses other than your ttu.edu account.
Phone Calls & TTY/TDD
Yes, TechAlert notifications will be sent to each departments main telephone number automatically. Students, faculty, and staff should NOT specify campus office phone numbers in their individual contact information.
A TTY is a device that lets people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired use the telephone to communicate by allowing them to type text messages. A TTY is required at both ends of the conversation to communicate. TDD is a Telecommunication Device for the Deaf.
Yes, you must designate one of your contact numbers as TTY/TDD enabled. You may mark your preferences at ttu.edu/emergencyalert.
Weather Alerts
TechAlert is used to announce a significant change in campus status, such as a weather delay or closing, to ensure everyone has the time-sensitive information they need to be safe.
A good resource for Lubbock weather is the National Weather Service Lubbock website.
Yes, you will receive a TechAlert email if the Texas Tech campus is included in a National Weather Service tornado warning. You will receive TechAlert phone calls and/or text messages if you are signed up to receive those. You may update your TechAlert contact information and preferences at any time. The City of Lubbock has an outdoor warning system that will also activate.
Yes. The City of Lubbock has an outdoor warning system that will activate in certain situations.
- Monthly Tests - Tests are scheduled for the 2nd Friday of each month between 9 and 10 a.m.
- Tornado Warning - The National Weather Service issues a warning for all or a portion of the city.
- Tornado Spotted - A tornado has been observed by trained storm spotters or reliable storm chasers within the city limits.
- Severe Thunderstorm Warning - The National Weather Service issues a warning for all or a portion of city limits with a wind tag of 90 MPH or more.
Texas Tech leadership makes weather delay and cancellation decisions the evening before or early morning. A TechAlert notification will be issued with that information. To ensure you receive all notifications, make sure your contact information is current by visiting ttu.edu/emergencyalert.
Delays or Cancellations
We understand the need for timely updates regarding campus operations. Many factors are considered before making a decision that impacts campus operations, with the safety of the Texas Tech community being our top priority.
If campus is closed, all classes, including those that meet online, will be canceled.
If there is a delayed opening, all in-person and online classes scheduled to begin before campus opens will be canceled. Please see the Winter Weather Instructions page for more information.
Texas Tech University considers National Weather Service forecasts and ERCOT grid condition levels when deciding whether to initiate a campus delay or closure.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power to more than 26 million Texas customers and represents 90 percent of the state's electric load. ERCOT is a membership-based nonprofit corporation governed by a board of directors and subject to oversight by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Legislature.
The City of Lubbock, including Texas Tech University, joined the ERCOT grid in 2021.
Save TechAlert to Contacts
Download, open, and save the TechAlert contact card (VCF file).
A VCF file, also known as a vCard file, is a standard file format used to store contact information. It is a widely supported format for exchanging contact information between devices, applications, and platforms.
If you encounter any issues, ensure that your iPhone's software is up to date and that you have the necessary permissions to access and modify your contacts.
- If someone has sent you a VCF file via email, messaging app, or other means, locate the message or email.
- Open the message or email containing the VCF file. Locate and tap on the VCF file attachment.
- Your iPhone will recognize the VCF file as a contact card. Once opened, you can view the contact details, including the person's name, phone number, email address, etc.
- If the contact information is not already in your address book, you can choose to add it to your contacts. Look for an option like "Add to Contacts" or "Create New Contact" and follow the prompts to save the information.
If you encounter any issues, ensure that your device's software is up to date and that you have the necessary permissions to access and modify your contacts. These steps may vary slightly depending on the specific Android device and the version of the operating system it's running.
- If you receive a VCF file via email, messaging app, or any other means, locate the message or email.
- Open the message or email containing the VCF file. Find and tap on the VCF file attachment.
- Your Android device will recognize the VCF file as a contact card. Once opened, you can view the contact details, including the person's name, phone number, email address, etc.
- If the contact information is not already in your address book, you can choose to add it to your contacts. Look for an option like "Add to Contacts" or "Save Contact" and follow the prompts to save the information.
If you encounter any issues, ensure your Mac's software is up to date and you have the necessary permissions to access and modify your contacts. Remember that the default contact application on Mac is usually the "Contacts" app.
- If you receive a VCF file via email or any other means, locate the message or email.
- On your Mac desktop, double-click on the VCF file. This action will open the file using the default contact application on your Mac.
- Once opened, you can view the contact details, such as the person's name, phone number, email address, and other relevant information.
- If the contact information is not already in your address book, you can choose to add it to your contacts. Look for an option like "Add to Contacts" or "Create New Contact" and follow the prompts to save the information.
Remember that the steps might vary slightly depending on your specific version of Windows and the Contacts app you are using. If you prefer, there are also third-party contact management applications that you can use to open and manage VCF files on your PC.
- If you receive a VCF file via email or any other means, locate the message or email..
- Save the VCF file to a location on your PC, such as your desktop or a specific folder.
- On Windows 10 or later, you can use the built-in Contacts app. Open the Start menu, search for "Contacts," and select the "Contacts" app.
- Inside the Contacts app, look for an option to import contacts. This might be labeled as "Import," "Import Contacts," or something similar.
- Choose to import contacts and navigate to where you saved the VCF file.
- Select the VCF file and follow the prompts to import the contacts.
- Once imported, you can view the contact information within the Contacts app.
Opting Out
You may opt out of all emergency notifications, except for email, by submitting all blank phone numbers on the data entry page at ttu.edu/emergencyalert. Texas Tech strongly recommends that you provide at least one phone number. The contact information you provide will ONLY be used for emergency notifications.
The TechAlert emergency notification system is pre-loaded with the primary phone number listed for you in the universitys student or employee information database. However, this number may not be the most appropriate for an emergency. Texas Tech strongly recommends you provide the best emergency notification contact information by signing up at ttu.edu/emergencyalert.
Employees
Once your employment starts with Texas Tech, you will automatically be enrolled in the TechAlert system to receive emergency notifications. If you want to change your settings or update your contact information, go to ttu.edu/emergencyalert and log in with your eRaider credentials.
TechAlert
-
Address
Texas Tech University, 2500 Broadway, Lubbock, TX 79409 -
Phone
806.742.2011 -
Email
techalert@ttu.edu