Prepare for a hurricane before the actual threat

FROM RICE NEWS STAFF REPORTS

Although Hurricane Alex did not wallop Houston, the storm provided a timely reminder to the Rice community that hurricane season is here and that preparations should be made now for coping with a severe storm.

	NOAA
	A hurricane takes aim in the Gulf of Mexico.

Dan Fu, a member of Rice’s Crisis Management Team and a business process consultant in the Office of the Vice President for Administration, said that as of last month, 18 named storms were predicted for the current season, including 11 hurricanes — among them five major hurricanes in the Atlantic basin, which includes the Gulf of Mexico.

“These predications are above the norm, which increases the possibility that Houston might not be so lucky the next time,” Fu said. ”Everyone should make a plan for what they’re going to do and develop a survival kit long before a hurricane hits.”

The Crisis Management Team has posted checklists for hurricane preparations at www.rice.edu/emergency. They cover steps that families need to take if they are planning to evacuate and, if they ride out the storm at home, supplies they should stock up on, like water, canned goods and extra batteries.

Rice will offer on-campus shelter to all undergraduate students and to graduate students who live in university-owned housing, such as the Rice Graduate Apartments and the Rice Village Apartments. Only faculty and staff who are designated as essential employees will be sheltered on campus.

“The sheltering policy takes into consideration that Rice will have limited supplies of food, water and power as well as security and safety personnel, and our priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of our students,” Fu said. “Getting through the actual hurricane is one thing, but it’s often the recovery period that poses the greater challenge. That’s why we encourage employees to take the time to think about preparations before they’re in crisis mode and store shelves are bare.”

If a tropical storm or hurricane warrants closure of the university, the Crisis Management Team will make use of e-mail, cell phone, text messages and rice.edu to communicate critical information. Updates will be posted at rice.edu. Call Rice’s emergency hotline at 713-348-8888 for recorded messages about the university’s operating status.

To ensure that you receive timely messages from the Crisis Management Team, log in to your Esther account at esther.rice.edu, click on the link to Rice University Emergency Notification System and make sure the phone numbers and e-mail addresses where you want to be contacted are updated.