Although the WarnMe alert system drew some criticism in 2011 after many did not receive notification about a shooting at Haas School of Business, the campus’s multiple warning systems appear to have been utilized effectively during Monday’s power outage and explosion, campus officials said.

Campus police and officials used nearly all emergency systems in place to respond to the events — including WarnMe, the campus siren-and-PA system and the emergency phone line, which played a looped message with updates on the situation. Messages were also posted on the campus public affairs website, Facebook and Twitter pages, according to campus spokesperson Janet Gilmore.

UCPD sent four messages via WarnMe, said UCPD spokesperson Lt. Eric Tejada.

After the explosion near California Hall about 6:40 p.m., a message went out at 6:50 p.m. telling recipients to evacuate campus immediately due to an emergency.

“We know that there will be situations where individuals maybe might get (WarnMe messages) late or not receive them,” Gilmore said. “We will be taking a close look at what worked and what needs to be improved.”

Gilmore encouraged students who did not receive text message alerts to update their information through the BearFacts website and choose text messaging as the preferred option for receiving emergency communication.

Senior Christophe Hansen-Estruch was studying at C.V. Starr East Asian Library when the campus initially lost power.

“There was this noise like a ‘bmf,’ and then all the lights went off,” he said.

After a few minutes of confusion, a library staff member went up each floor to inform students that there had been a power outage and that there was no immediate emergency, he said.

Hansen-Estruch also said he received an email from WarnMe, but because he did not sign up for text alerts, he received the warning much later.

UCPD used the campus PA system to send broadcasts instructing individuals to leave campus after the explosion occurred. Throughout the evening, police officers entered and checked campus buildings to ensure all individuals had been evacuated, Gilmore said.

The campus’s emergency systems effectively served their purpose, said UCPD Lt. Marc DeCoulode.

Although the residence halls did not need to be evacuated Monday night, the campus will work with city officials to find suitable areas for relocation in case the need arises in the future, said Amina Assefa, manager at the campus’s Office of Emergency Management.

“We would start looking for open spaces in the city of Berkeley and start directing people,” she said. “We would also use campus transportation services if we have to move people further away.”

Contact Jessie Lau at jlau@dailycal.org.

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While thinking about this experience, my attention was promptly turned to Woody Allen’s 1986 film, “Hannah and Her Sisters.” Through the course of this film, Woody Allen’s character goes through a high-strung couple of days while he grapples with the idea that he may have a brain tumor (which, of course, is mostly a hyperbolized condition that exacerbates in Allen’s character’s paranoid mind, not his actual physiology). In the midst of his existential crisis, Allen finds himself questioning the purpose of life and walking mindlessly into a movie theater for a dark, private place to think. Here, he finds his reason to continue living in a world where he could potentially die at any moment. The mass of performers singing and twirling across the screen in a showing of the Marx Brothers’ film, “Duck Soup,” convinces him that even if we have a limited amount of time on this earth, it only makes sense to “enjoy it while it lasts.”

Yesterday, I was reminded of how precious the arts are to my life. When the going gets rough, listening to music, dancing, or watching a film are ways that I remind myself of the beautiful creativity that surrounds and fuels me every day. This unexpected stimulus of reflection was a formidable reminder of how the arts are more powerful, more supportive, and more vital to my sanity, health and joy than I usually take the time to realize.

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The WarnMe emergency alert service was an opt-in system when it was introduced in 2008, but now everyone with access to CalMail will be enrolled unless one chooses to opt out.

An email about the updated system will be sent to all addresses in the CalNet directory, according to a campuswide email sent March 9 by campus spokesperson Claire Holmes.

The transition to an all-inclusive alert system began last year and was not a product of the shooting that occurred at the Haas School of Business Nov. 15, according to campus Director of Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security Stephen Stoll.

There was no incident that caused this development — rather, the software used for the alerts now has the capability to be opt-out, Stoll said.

“Everyone will start off receiving the alerts to their CalMail, and they will have the option to change their priorities so they could receive their alerts by text, on their cellphones, work phones, etc.,” he said.

Those who do not wish to be alerted to campus emergencies, natural disasters and other crises will have to sign a form saying they do not want to be contacted through WarnMe, Stoll said.

There are currently 32,000 people signed up to receive WarnMe alerts. The campus is also working to enroll nonaffiliates in WarnMe, including some parents, in six months.

“We are not going to allow all parents to join the WarnMe because the system won’t be able to handle it,” Stoll said.

UC Berkeley is not the only campus with such an alert system. UC Davis, UC San Francisco and Vanderbilt University have similar systems.

“There needs to be a comprehensive system in place to notify folks in the case of emergency,” said ASUC External Affairs Vice President Joey Freeman in a text message. “WarnMe is a critical component of the campus’s emergency communications and response system and has the potential to save lives.”

The system will not send a mass of texts, and an occasional text could save a life, said senior Maricel Quirindongo-Crespo.

“I think it’s good for people’s safety,” she said. “I personally keep forgetting to sign up, so its a good thing they are making it automatic.”

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The Office of Public Affairs sent out messages to 39,000 recipients Tuesday afternoon. However, the office has received numerous complaints that some people who signed up did not receive the three urgent messages alerting the community of the shooting, according to Claire Holmes, associate vice chancellor of public affairs.

“I’ve heard some feedback that people said they didn’t receive the message, so we’re looking into that,” Holmes said.

She added that CalMail was down for a portion of the day, further contributing to the system’s issues.

WarnMe is a voluntary program available to everyone at UC Berkeley and in the surrounding community, including those unaffiliated with the university, according to Holmes.

The system relies on email, text messages and phone calls, Holmes said. The program was enacted seven years ago by a task force created by Chancellor Robert Birgeneau.

Only the UCPD and the Office of Public Affairs have the ability to send WarnMe alerts. At 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, a message was sent out informing students that the school was secure.

“There is no longer a threat at Haas Business School,” read the WarnMe message. “Campus activities have returned to normal.”

According to Holmes, the school was secured much earlier than that, but UCPD and the Office of Public Affairs wanted to confirm that the threat was over before sending out the message. However, the school was closed off until later in the day to allow UCPD to investigate the crime scene.

“All classes are canceled for the rest of the day and evening due to a shooting at the school,” said Jay Stowsky, senior assistant dean for instruction, in an email to all students at the business school. “All students, faculty and staff are safe.”

A total of 42,000 people are signed up for the system, including the majority of UC Berkeley students, according to Holmes.

“I think it works well, because I knew exactly what was going on yesterday,” said UC Berkeley freshman Jen Winnett.

WarnMe will be activated in any situation that threatens lives in the community, according to the system’s website, including a major chemical spill, a natural disaster, a bomb threat or, as in the case of Tuesday, a shooting.

“I know a lot of people who just signed up because of what happened yesterday,” said Emily Cummins, a UC Berkeley freshman.

WarnMe was created because of incidents on other college campuses that caused concern, according to the website.

“We have a lot to do in the next few days,” Holmes said. “I would encourage everyone to sign up.”

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