Tyler Jacon is the chairman of the Student Safety and Security Committee, but even he didn’t get the Alert Carolina safety warnings promptly during Saturday’s strong storms.
Weather conditions in Chapel Hill were so severe Saturday that a tornado warning was issued by an Alert Carolina message via text message — but a slight minority of students did not immediately receive the warning.
Jacon said the message was late on his Sprint-serviced cellphone.
Students with certain cell phone carriers might receive the Alert Carolina messages later than others, but there was no real lapse in Alert Carolina technology Saturday, Jacon said.
“It seems like it was limited to certain carriers,” he said.
Randy Young, spokesman for UNC’s Department of Public Safety, said the department does a review after each Alert Carolina is issued. So far, he said the department has received positive reviews about the response to the tornado.
Alert Carolina messages were sent out through email and text. On Saturday, the sirens on campus sounded an alarm as well.
“It acted as the system was activated and did what it was supposed to do,” he said. “I can’t confirm what the service issues were. The sirens acted as they were supposed to.”
Jacon said he thought the system has worked effectively this academic year.
