Emergency Information

Current Campus Status

ALL CLEAR -- All buildings at the UT Health Science Center at Houston are open and operational.

Last Updated
April 1, 2008
10:11 a.m.
Current weather information:
Hurricane & Flood: Before and After Handbook
To contact the UT Police Department 24/7/365 dial, 911 for Emergencies and 713-792-2890
for non-Emergencies.



 

Be prepared for hazardous weather

Stay informed of local weather conditions, watches and warnings from the National Weather Service and view evacuation maps from the Texas Emergency Portal or Houston's Transtar Real-Time Traffic Map.

In a serious weather emergency, UTHSC-H employees and students may find out whether the institution is officially open by the following means:

If these communication media are out of order or do not provide adequate information, employees should call their supervisors. All employees and supervisors are reminded to keep home phone numbers with them at home so that they can reach each other in case of emergency.  Supervisors should exercise their best judgment in allowing UTHSC-H employees to use appropriate leave time in the event of family emergencies or concerns about getting to work safely.  Employees should discuss their situation with their supervisor.

Employees defined by their department as “essential” and employees and students with clinical obligations at hospitals and other locations should check with their supervisors.

STUDENTS

If the university is closed, formal classes will be cancelled.

At the Dental Branch, in case of unanticipated absence necessitating cancellation of patient appointments, it is the students' reponsibility to notify their patients.

At the Medical School, third- and fourth-year students should check with their attendings for instructions.

At the School of Nursing, for master's level students in the nurse anesthesia program, if the hospital is open, the students are expected to meet their clinical obligations.

At the School of Public Health, anyone with clinical duties is still required to fulfill those duties.

ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEES

Essential employees have been designated by their department heads as essential to the continued performance of their department and/or the university.

Essential employees include faculty and staff who are required to sustain clinical services and/or who are responsible for the protection of university assets. Essential Employees will be required to report to their designated work site during their appointed work schedule even when the institution has been officially declared closed due to adverse conditions. If an essential employee cannot report to work, she/he must contact her/his direct supervisor to advise of her/his situation as soon as possible.

BUSINESS CONTINUITY

Based upon past experience, 30 days post event is the most critical timeframe with regard to immediate recovery decisions, resource procurement, and the establishment of temporary means and locations of essential functions. The UTHSC-H Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is intended to describe actions and decision-making capabilities for that time frame by suggesting enhanced pre-event strategies to reduce or eliminate the impacts of emergencies at the local operational level. This process is on-going within the clinical, educational, and research mission areas with the assistance of Environmental Health and Safety. This element of the BCP is intended to provide a guide to essential institutional infrastructure services for the UTHSC-H community in the event normal operations are curtailed due to the occurrence of an event.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information see University Closure in Severe Weather in the Handbook of Operating Procedures (HOOP) or the Emergency Situation Response Plan Microsoft Word document.