University Preparedness Benefits from Rita ‘Rehearsal’

Campus readied for Hurricane Rita just weeks after thousands volunteer in aftermath
of Hurricane Katrina

“Magnificent” was the adjective that University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston President James T. Willerson, M.D., used to describe the response of faculty, staff, residents, fellows and students to the effects of two hurricanes - Katrina and Rita - in less than a month.

“I am amazed at the strength, courage and resilience that you have demonstrated,” Willerson said in a memo to the university community.

When meteorologists predicted that Hurricane Rita would come ashore near Galveston as a Category 5 storm during the early hours of Sept. 24, executive leadership made the decision to close most of the university in advance. Michael McKinney, M.D., executive vice president and chief operating officer, led an operations team in implementing the university’s Emergency Situation Response Plan to ensure the safety of personnel, facilities, laboratory animals and information technology.

I am amazed at the strength,courage and resilience
that you have demonstrated,”
Willerson said in a memo to the university community.

Although Rita later took a turn and came ashore farther east than Houston, the serious nature of the strong hurricane required careful preparation and attentiveness. McKinney deemed the “dress rehearsal” a success. He led a thoughtful debriefing, during which specific issues were identified for further discussion and action, including closure policies, strategies for maintaining information technology functions, and additional provisions for the safety of laboratory animals, among other issues.

As a result, the Executive Budget Committee approved an expenditure of approximately $1 million to provide continuous power and cooling to the Medical School’s data center. “This improvement, in conjunction with the completion of the UCT data center, will allow us to keep critical components of the university’s information technology infrastructure running without interruption during the next hurricane or other threat,” said Rick Miller, chief information officer.

Representatives from Environmental Health and Safety, Laboratory Animal Medicine and Care, Facilities, Auxiliary Enterprises, and UT Police joined McKinney on a ride-out team to monitor facilities and research animals during the storm. Information Technology and Public Affairs staff members worked during the university closure period and through the weekend to manage the technology and communications aspects of the health science center’s emergency plans.

UT Physicians staff and residents volunteered to meet patient commitments at LBJ and Hermann hospitals over the weekend while staff at the UT Harris County Psychiatric Center maintained normal operations during the week and weekend.

In a special memo to HCPC employees afterward, Willerson expressed appreciation for their extraordinary service. “You came to work, worked around the clock, ate and slept on site, and, when asked to help with even more, such as helping to transport patients, you did it without complaint,” he said.

The university’s response to Hurricane Rita came on the heels of efforts to assist evacuees affected by Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf coast late in August. For just over two weeks all six health science center schools – with several thousand faculty, staff, students and community volunteers – provided services for Katrina survivors.

At the mayor’s request, the health science center ran the clinic for Katrina survivors sheltered at the George R. Brown Convention Center, providing medical, dental and nursing care in about 10,000 patient visits.

Meanwhile, the university conducted public health studies for thousands of evacuees at the Astrodome complex, among other activities, such as consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency on conditions in New Orleans and disposal of waste materials at the mega-shelters in Houston.

The schools of the health science center worked with Tulane University and other institutions in the affected areas to address the needs of students, faculty and trainees.

The generous campus community donated more than $10,000 in cash and two truck loads of food to a health science center People and Pets Food Drive that benefited human and animal survivors of Hurricane Katrina and then collected “Rita Rations” – nonperishable foods they had stocked and not needed for themselves – to give to survivors of Hurricane Rita.

“During the last weeks we have elevated our service mission to a place of prominence,” Willerson said to the university community, “and we have achieved that role with distinction. I commend you all.”