Emergency Management Bureau Storm Update


On Wednesday, January 25th, the Emergency Management Bureau (EMB) within the Department of Public Safety activated the University of Houston Emergency Operations Center (UHEOC) to monitor and prepare for the potential severe weather that was forecasted. The EMB had been monitoring the potential severe weather since the previous Monday. Preparations were made before close of business on Tuesday to stage all equipment in preparation for activating the UHEOC.

At 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 25, the UHEOC was activated. The UHEOC monitored the severe weather and coordinated the distribution of information to the campus community. The National Weather Service issued various watches and warnings on Wednesday morning for the University of Houston, including a Tornado Warning at 11:13 a.m. This Tornado Warning prompted a UH Emergency Alert that sent notifications from the UHEOC website (www.uh.edu/emergency), e-mail, SMS text messages, Alertus beacons, UH EMB Facebook and Twitter webpages and activated the Outdoor Warning Siren System. Luckily, the impact to the university from Wednesday�s severe weather was limited to minor street flooding in and around campus. The UHEOC was deactivated that afternoon at 2:15 p.m.