On Sunday morning shortly before 10 a.m., a transformer blew in the campground. The explosion resulted in power outages throug a few buildings on campus, most notably the Olt Student Center, Tara and South apartments, and Martin Hall.
The Anderson University Police Department, physical plant and Food Services worked together to respond aptly to the situation. Once alternative plans were negotiated for food services, AUPD sent out a Raven alert notifying students of the power outage and the plan going forward, which included food being served at Create instead of the Haven until further notice.
The power outage lasted approximately three hours. After power was restored, SoNo in Olt Student Center began serving food, starting at 4 p.m.
Chief of Police, Officer Rick Garrett, expressed pride in his staff, physical plant, and AU food services in how well they responded to the outage. The Raven alerts were sent via the new “Rave” vendor. Garrett noted that the alerts were “very effective,” as they were prepared in less than five minutes and were received by over 3,000 people.
He noted that, based on the actions of various crisis response groups during last year’s bomb threat, active shooter drill and now the power outage, he feels prepared to respond effectively to “just about anything.”
“Things have worked out well through our plans,” Garrett said. “We have great city resources to work with as well, including the Anderson city police department.”
Students can adjust their system preferences for the Raven alert system by visiting alert.anderson.edu and choosing to receive text messages, voicemails, emails or all three.