Campus News

UH keeping close eye on severe weather

The students, faculty and staff who came to school without umbrellas had to craft them out of trash bags and textbooks in order to avoid Wednesday’s downpour. UH’s Department of Public Safety sent out an e-mail telling everyone to stay indoors until 11:45 a.m. because of a tornado warning issued by the National Weather Service. UHDPS warned students to avoid Elgin Blvd at entrance 18, Wheeler St. at parking lot 4A, Elgin Blvd. at Spur 5, MLK Blvd. at Calhoun and entrance 17 at entrance 16 because of flooding. The storms let up at around 2 p.m., but not before some afternoon classes were canceled, and attendance was lower in those that weren’t.  |  Emily Chambers/The Daily Cougar

UH is keeping a close eye on severe weather threatening the Houston area on Wednesday. | File photo/The Cougar

After the Houston Chronicle reported on the National Weather Service’s flash flood issue, UH is keeping a close eye on the skies and roads as the Houston area may face severe weather into Wednesday.

“The UH Office of Emergency Management is actively monitoring the situation in coordination with the local office of the National Weather Service,” Director of Media Relations P’Nina Topham said.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch until 6 p.m affecting 18 counties, including Harris. In the event a class cancellation is warranted, updates will be posted on the UH Emergency Operations Center website portal.

“In addition to the website acting as a single resource for up to the minute information about campus emergency incidents including school closures or announcements about unfavorable weather conditions, UH”s emergency alert system sends out messages via email and text message to faculty, staff and students who have provided their cell phone number in MyUH or PASS,” Topham said.

The University is also using Twitter to inform students of any changes due to the weather conditions through their @UHEMB account.

Students, staff and faculty are advised to use any of these means in addition to local news channels as they brace heavy rainfall and winds on their commute to the campus Wednesday.

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