With Hurricane Laura projected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast Wednesday evening, the University is closely monitoring the storm to make operational adjustments as necessary in accordance with the Hurricane Response Guide.
University leadership, in collaboration with the Office of Emergency Management and UHPD, consider factors such as a storm’s projected path, intensity, potential impact to campus, possible implications for city infrastructure and mandatory evacuation orders when determining necessary alterations to University operations.
The final decision regarding operational changes, including University closures and class cancellation, is made by the University president or their designee.
“The safety of the campus community is our top priority,” UH spokesperson Chris Stipes said. “Our goal is to make as informed of a decision as possible while still providing our campus community sufficient notice.”
The University announced Tuesday that courses and services will transition online from Wednesday until the end of the week.
In addition to encouraging members of the UH community to sign up for the UH ALERT emergency notification system to get up to date information about campus operations, the University also prompts students living both on and off campus to create a storm preparedness plan.
“As Hurricane Laura approaches the Gulf Coast, we encourage all students, including those living on campus, to be aware of the developing weather conditions and proactively have a plan to possibly self-relocate off campus if circumstances dictate,” said Stipes.
In the event of severe weather such as hurricanes, the University’s Ride-Out Team works on campus to continue essential operations in critical departments, such as UH Housing. This would include cleaning measures necessary to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus in residential facilities amid the ongoing pandemic.
“In the event the Ride-Out Team is activated, UH Facilities Services would have staff available on campus to address issues with facilities, including sanitation issues,” said Stipes.
