UW Emergency Management

Campus Mass Assembly Areas

As a backup method of mass communication to supplement the normal UW Alert mass notification system, the UW Mass Assembly Areas may be used in the most extreme disasters where normal communications are restricted or down.  The University of Washington plan has designated eight (8) locations as outdoor Mass Assembly Areas for the dissemination of critical news, alerts and information to the campus in the event of a major disaster or emergency.  While never used during an actual disaster, if/when activated, these sites may serve as supplemental focal points for the campus community to assemble to receive up-to-date, timely and accurate campus disaster information. These 8 outdoor hubs, located in/near an identifiable UW Alert BLUE TOWER, these sites serve a secondary, backup method of providing (one-way) information for “official” campus information (i.e. Is campus closed? Where do I go for help? How do I get home? What evacuation routes are open? etc…).

These sites are located outdoors due to the high likelihood of building or structural damage after a major earthquake. Here is the current map of the mass assembly areas.