University Website Crisis Communication

When Crisis Hits Campus

A tornado warning. An active threat. A public health emergency. A major facilities failure. When crisis hits campus, your website suddenly becomes the primary communication channel. Students, parents, faculty, media, and community all turn to your site for information.

This isn't the time to figure out procedures. Crisis web communication requires advance planning: who publishes what, how quickly, through what process, and what happens when things go wrong.

Pre-Crisis Planning

Define Authority and Roles

• Who authorizes emergency web content?
• Who can publish directly without approval?
• Who is the backup if primary contacts are unavailable?
• What's the chain of command for decisions?

Document Procedures

• Step-by-step publishing instructions
• Login credentials (secured but accessible)
• Contact information for all involved
• Escalation procedures

Prepare Templates

Pre-written templates for common scenarios:

• Weather closures and delays
• Security alerts
• Health advisories
• Facilities emergencies
• Generic "situation developing" placeholder

1. Identify likely crisis scenarios

   What emergencies has your campus faced? What could you face?

2. Create template content

   Draft text, design emergency banners, prepare page layouts.

3. Document publishing steps

   Write instructions anyone could follow under pressure.

4. Test procedures

   Practice with drills. Find gaps before real emergencies.

Technical Preparation

Traffic Handling

• Can your site handle 10x normal traffic?
• Is aggressive caching enabled for emergencies?
• Do you have a CDN for traffic distribution?
• Is there a static failover page?

Emergency Banner System

• Site-wide alert banner capability
• Multiple severity levels (info, warning, emergency)
• Easy to activate/deactivate
• Accessible and mobile-friendly

Backup Systems

• Static emergency page hosted separately
• DNS ability to redirect to emergency page
• Social media as backup communication channel
• Mobile-friendly alternative if main site fails

During the Crisis

Initial Response

• Activate emergency banner immediately
• Post initial statement (even if "developing")
• Link to authoritative sources
• Include timestamp on all content

Ongoing Updates

• Update regularly, even if just "no change"
• Timestamp every update
• Keep previous updates visible (log format)
• Coordinate with other communication channels

Content Principles

• Accurate: Only publish confirmed information
• Clear: Simple language, avoid jargon
• Actionable: Tell people what to do
• Accessible: Works for everyone, all devices

Coordination

Communication Channels

Website is one channel among several:

• Emergency text/email alerts
• Social media accounts
• Local media relations
• Internal communication systems

Ensure consistency across all channels. Designate who manages each.

Stakeholder Information Needs

Post-Crisis

Transition Back to Normal

• Clear process for removing emergency content
• Archive crisis content for records
• Update any permanent content affected
• Redirect crisis URLs if needed

Debrief

• What worked well?
• What were the problems?
• How can procedures improve?
• Update documentation based on lessons

Be Ready

Crisis web communication succeeds through preparation, not improvisation. Define roles, document procedures, prepare templates, test systems, and train people. When emergency strikes, you want to execute a plan, not create one.

Your website may never face a major crisis—but if it does, the preparation you do now determines whether you communicate effectively or contribute to chaos.