Tropical Weather Update – Sept. 1, 5 p.m.

UTMB Health — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:12:40 +0000

UTMB is moving into Phase 1 of its Emergency Operations Plan, effective this afternoon, in response to the tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico. Although forecasters are still uncertain as to how the system will develop and where it might move over land, there is a good possibility of bad weather along the Texas Gulf Coast, including the Galveston/Houston area. At this time, we expect heavy rains with possible street flooding and road closures over the holiday weekend.

Phase 1 of the Emergency Operations Plan requires that departments begin to review and be ready to implement their emergency plans, and that employees review their emergency responsibilities and contact information. Managers should also make sure they have adequate staffing over the weekend to maintain operations. As part of the first level of preparedness, we also advise employees and students to review their personal emergency preparedness plans.

We will continue to monitor the storm, moving to the appropriate level of preparedness and/or emergency operations in advance of the forecast. All employees and students are encouraged to stay tuned to institutional announcements and are asked to remain aware of weather changes and advisories. Please drive carefully, watch for high water in your area and plan alternate routes to work as needed. We will continue to provide updates as we receive them.

You can access the Emergency Operations web site for preparedness, planning and communication information.

Tropical Weather Update – Thursday, Sept. 1, 10 a.m.

UTMB Health — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:06:44 +0000

We are tracking the tropical weather disturbance moving into the Gulf of Mexico that forecasters believe will develop into a strong tropical storm over the next two days. The storm is expected to stall in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana and bring a considerable amount of rain to the Louisiana and upper Texas coasts (including the Galveston and greater Houston area) over the next several days. Although a precise forecast remains uncertain, there is a considerable likelihood that the storm will develop into a low intensity hurricane and track toward the Texas coast when it resumes movement early next week. Even though the current forecast is for landfall in South Texas, given the uncertainty, UTMB is preparing for the possibility of an impact to the Galveston area.

UTMB is closely monitoring the storm. Using an abundance of caution and acknowledging the coming holiday weekend, we will likely move to the first level of preparedness with our Emergency Operations Plan later today. The first level of preparedness requires that departments begin to review and be ready to implement their emergency plans, and that employees review their emergency responsibilities and contact information. As part of the first level of preparedness, we also advise employees to review their personal emergency preparedness plans.

At this time, we expect heavy rains with possible street flooding and road closures over the holiday weekend. We will continue to monitor the storm, moving to the appropriate level of preparedness and/or emergency operations in advance of the forecast. All employees are encouraged to please stay tuned to institutional announcements and are asked to remain aware of weather changes and advisories. We will continue to provide updates as we receive them.

UTMBinfo.com

Tropical Weather Update – Sept. 1, 5 p.m.

Tropical Weather Update – Thursday, Sept. 1, 10 a.m.