With all eyes on Hurricane Ike’s expected Texas landfall, Residential Life and Housing is asking students living on campus to prepare for a possibly stormy weekend.
Officials said they don’t expect residents to be evacuate, though that decision would be made by UH President Renu Khator, Andy Blank, RLH executive director, said.
"The buildings, especially the Quads, are pretty safe to do a ride-out," he said. "The buildings are hurricane-stable."
In the meantime, residents should fill out evacuation plan forms at their residential area desks and plan to possibly lose electricity or transportation for a few days, depending on the impact of the storm, Blank said.
Students are welcome to change their evacuation plans, but having them on file helps officials plan for all possibilities, he said.
As of late Wednesday, Hurricane Ike was projected to hit south of Houston and could generate heavy wind and rain in the area, the UH Emergency Management Team announced.
"There’s a lot of variables," Blank said. "If students live nearby, they always have the option of going home."
Residents will be notified by the University’s emergency notification system whether to shelter in place or evacuate if the need arises, Javier Hidalgo, associate director of Operations for RLH, said.
"If we have to leave the campus, we will take you to a safe place," he said.
The University has a contract for a bus service to take residents without transportation to either Texas State University at San Marcos or Prairie View A’M University, Hidalgo said. Blank said UH Police Chief Malcolm Davis would determine the evacuation location.
However, Blank said, evacuation is unlikely in light of logistical issues Houston faced in evacuating for Hurricane Rita in 2005.
"It has to be really, really bad before they’ll evacuate the city, evacuate the University," he said, noting UH is 50 miles from the coast.
Hidalgo said evacuation of the residence halls in 2005 went smoothly, with Moody Towers completely clear in two hours.
In an evacuation scenario, students should ensure they have identification and other important documents, emergency phone numbers and a map with them, the RLH Web site said. Students should plan to take only one bag and may want to bring a pillow and blanket if evacuated, Blank said.
Residents can take any questions or concerns to their resident assistant or area coordinator, Blank said.
More information on hurricane preparation is available at www.housing.uh.edu, and RLH officials are encouraging students to monitor www.uh.edu/emergency for any campuswide emergency announcements.
