__________________________

The official Hurricane Season has begun, and the University of Houston is fully prepared to respond if our campus is faced with the prospect of any weather-related crisis. We're committed to supporting the safety and welfare of our students, faculty, staff and visitors. Although our university was fortunate to escape any serious damage during Hurricanes Rita and Katrina and last season was uneventful, we know that our region is always at risk, and it's unwise to become complacent.  Because of that, we have used the past year to increase our preparedness - adding emergency generators, power and hurricane shutters; contracting for emergency equipment, fuel and transportation; refining evacuation plans; upgrading communication options; and undergoing planning drills to anticipate potential emergencies. 

The university's Emergency Management Plan addresses the specific procedures that will be followed depending on the emergency.  For a hurricane (or an extreme tropical storm), the UH Department of Public Safety will monitor the weather closely. If it is determined the campus may be at risk, the president (or designee) can choose to close our campus.  Likewise, the president will approve re-opening the campus when it is safe to do so. 

We will keep the campus community well informed during the Hurricane Season (and during other emergencies) by posting information prominently on the front page of UH Web site (http://www.uh.edu/ ) and on the UH emergency communications site (www.uh.edu/emergency ) as well as by conventional e-mail notifications and by text messaging,   as appropriate.  To ensure we have your current contact information, please log in at www.uh.edu/mypeoplesoft/, click on Campus Personal Information and update your listing.  

In addition, our central operators (713-743-1000) and UH OnCALL (713-743-2255) will have up-to-date information for on- and off-campus callers.  Our Office of University Communication will alert the local media about the university's status, allowing them to convey this information to the general public.  

Should a full-scale evacuation be necessary, preparations are already in place, including buses and drivers for student residents who require transportation to secure areas arranged by UH.  Provisions have been made for a ride-out team to remain safely on campus to maintain essential operations during the emergency. 

We have continued to evaluate and improve our crisis communication resources and our emergency procedures.  We hope we won't need them this Hurricane Season, but it's reassuring to know that we're prepared if we do.

David Irvin
Associate Vice President for Plant Operations
Chair of the Emergency Management Committee