School safety officials sent more than 87 million alerts to residents, parents, students and staff during hurricanes Gustav, Hanna, Ike and Tropical Storm Fay, using Blackboard Connect, according to a Blackboard news release.

The messages were sent during the height of the 2008 hurricane season from August 15 though October 15. Officials sent a variety of time-sensitive messages, including alerts and updates for evacuations, school and road closures, activity schedule changes and volunteer programs.

The Connect platform can be used to reach thousands through home phones, cell phones, text messages and e-mails and is used by federal agencies and military organizations as well as state and local governments, K-12 schools, school districts and higher education personnel.

The platform can be used from any phone or computer with Internet access and allows officials to send alerts and messages from any location. After the messages are sent, officials receive reports that list which contacts did not receive the message, enabling them to respond or follow up with another means of communication.