Hazardous weather prompts safety concerns

To stay up-to-date with MHCC schedule changes due to inclement weather, you can now receive push notifications for Android from FlashAlert, a free service that provides access to emergency messages from participating organizations.

“Register at FlashAlert and monitor multiple communication channels for updated information (during inclement weather),” said Maggie Huffman, MHCC communications director.

Reliable sources for latest information on potential schedule changes include: the MHCC homepage (mchh.edu); the phone greeting at 503-491-6422; local TV and radio broadcasts; and FlashAlert notifications.

You can subscribe at flashalert.net to receive new messages about MHCC via text messages, emails, tweets, or push notifications (new this year). Push notifications are messages sent directly to your smartphone, and are more reliable than text messages in emergency.

According to Huffman, the owner of FlashAlert is discouraging the use of text notifications because the service can be slow. If an individual would like to opt for text notifications, they are still available “as long as the student realizes it’s very unreliable,” said Huffman.

To receive push notifications, download the free FlashAlert Messenger application, currently available for Android and soon in the iTunes app store. Information with this service is updated every half hour, so if any changes have been submitted, an alert will soon follow via your preferred message delivery.

Details on how to register for FlashAlert, and on other inclement weather/emergency information, are posted on the updated MHCC web page; from the homepage, click on the “Quicklinks” drop down menu, then click on “Inclement Weather”.

When hazardous conditions are predicted, campus safety employees will thoroughly inspect the MHCC grounds. If conditions are found to be unsafe, they work with facilities staff and the school president to decide if a closure or delayed start is needed. The information is then passed on to the Public Information Officer (PIO), responsible for communicating any schedule changes to the public.

“Our No. 1 concern is safety,” said Huffman, the school’s main PIO.

Huffman said she tries to get the word out to all sources as swiftly as possible. In the event of a schedule change, she will immediately update local news stations, the MHCC website, the telephone message line, and FlashAlert. She aims to have updates posted by 5:30 a.m. on the day affected.

Campus gates will remain locked until 30 minutes prior to scheduled opening time, and only classes that start on or after that time will be in session.