"Storm Preparation at the UTMB Animal Resources Center"
John Donaho, University of Texas Medical Branch
Content: Planning - Personnel Designations - Preparation Tips - Recovery
Galveston’s island location, massive development in low lying coastal areas, and a population without major storm experience is a recipe for disaster. Reducing the impact to research by protecting research programs is the goal. The process of preparing for hurricanes is a constant year-round process when you work on an island. Galveston has been spared several times in the last few years, but eventually, the island will take another direct blow from a major storm.
It is our hope that through testing and refinement, the planning process detailed here will reduce the impact on our research community.
Galveston is a barrier island located in the northwest Gulf of Mexico. A narrow strip of sand thirty miles long and two miles at the widest point, the island averages only seven feet above sea level. During hurricane season from June 1 to November 30 each year, the plans and preparations made throughout the year come into focus. The 1900 Storm, also known as The Great Storm, remains the most devastating natural disaster in US history. Galveston lost 6000 dead or missing and its status as a major force on the developing Gulf Coast. At the turn of the century, Galveston was a capital of commerce in Texas. Mainland rail lines snaked to the port in Galveston meeting ships with goods destined for locations throughout the young state of Texas and the new West. If you wanted to see the first Post Office or electric street lights or telephones west of the Mississippi, Galveston was the place. Galveston was a naval port at times for the Republic of Texas, the Confederacy and the United States.
The Storm (they were not named at that time) changed all that. The island was unprepared for such an event. The 1900 Storm rolled over the island with a massive wall of water, a storm surge. Then wave action smashed most of the structures on the island to kindling. Winds were calculated in excess of 130 miles per hour
As a result of the Great Storm, a seawall was constructed and completed in 1917 protecting the eastern portion of the island with an 18 foot high wall of concrete. The raising of the city behind the wall remains a major engineering feat. It is against this backdrop of tragedy and rebuilding that we prepare for the next great storm.
When we examine our hurricane plans we consider all the risks associated with a major disaster. A tidal surge can still flood the island even with the seawall. Wind and wave action can combine to collapse a roof or building. In addition to the high tides of a hurricane or tropical storm, we must also deal with flooding tropical rains.
Over the last two years we have endured what initially appeared to be minimal tropical storms,deluging the area, impacting our ability to provide care for the animals. Even “small” storms create street flooding preventing staff from reaching facilities. High tides and heavy rains can also overwhelm sewage systems backing water into buildings through drains.
Planning also addresses the contingencies of utility disruption, fire, biohazards, loss of our supply lines, staff safety and the potential for civil unrest during a major disaster.
- We know the range of possible events related to a storm.
- How do those events place us at risk?
- Is it flooding, loss of power, loss of a transportation link? Will operating in disaster mode prevent caring for animals?
- Once risks are identified, can we reduce the impact of an event?
The UTMB plan attempts to address the risks. Animals will be moved to safer locations. Supply inventories are increased and staged. Investigators are encouraged to ramp down long term experiments during hurricane season. Emergency generators are started weekly then tested monthly under load for 24 hours to assure a stable emergency power source. Data back-up and restoration is tested.
Plans are communicated, coordinated and shared through all levels of the university. During an actual storm threat, it is understood that the animal research areas must begin storm preparation much earlier than the rest of the university.
Key personnel and their back-ups are identified and trained.
Plans are discussed with key research groups for identification of issues and for completeness.• Focus on the results of the event, not the event
• Plan for loss of a building or room – where do you go?
• Know your outside resources, AAALAC, USDA, NABR,
state biomedical organizations, OLAW, local veterinarians
and neighboring facilities.
Planning/Coordination:
• Office of Research Administration
• UT Police
• Health and Safety
• Materials Management
• Facilities Support
• Office of Clinical Affairs
• IACUC
• Animal Resources
• Information Services/Technology
• Local Emergency Management
• Other outside resources
Planning at UTMB involves every corner of the campus. All areas develop plans and contingency plans to assure that the campus is prepared for a storm. Campus plans are coordinated with local emergency management officials. Departmental plans become part of the University plan and are communicated in annual meetings at the start of hurricane season.
• E-1 Essential - required to report to and remain on site
during emergency and throughout the altered
institutional mission.
• E-2 Reserve Essential - required to report to and remain on
campus preceding an emergency until E-1’s report
for duty. May be reclassified E-1.
• E-3 Re-entry Essential - Required to return after emergency
to relieve E-1 personnel. Critical to normalization.
All employees sign employment agreement that E-1 designation is possible.
UTMB employees are required to stay in the event of a hurricane as a condition of employment
Experience this hurricane season showed the importance of early action for pending threats. If the E-1/E-2 exchange is delayed too long, E-2 staff are trapped on the island and E-1 staff may be caught in traffic off the island. Roads become impassible hours before a major storm makes landfall. All personnel must be in their assigned locations before a threat is obvious. The difficulty is communicating and understanding the storm potential while the weather outside is still nice.
Staff chosen to ride out the storm are selected for skill sets and expected stability in stressful situations.
During Storm Watch:
• Review personnel responsibilities
• Inventory food, bedding, caging
• Stage supplies at identified locations
• Identify opportunities for census reduction
• Complete carcass pickup and transport
As soon as a storm is identified as a threat or potential threat to the Gulf of Mexico, the ARC storm plan is activated. This is often well in advance of any official watches or warnings.
All staff are notified, inventories are rechecked, emergency numbers are verified and the University administration is advised of preparation progress.
Reduction of census prior to storm arrival is risky, contentious and a last resort. But, priorities are established for emergency situations. These plans are developed with input from the effected researchers.
• Begin early!
• Keep tools handy
• Do not use red bags or black
plastic bags for storage! Use
heavy duty clear bags only.
• Instructions must be specific,
directed and with follow-up.
• Establish alternate communication
methods.
There will not be enough time
On the third coast, storms can blow up quickly to hurricane force… sometimes in an afternoon
Be “Tim, the Tool Man, Taylor”! Keep at least two sets of tools available. Basic things like plastic sheeting, hammers, crowbars, bolt cutters, screwdrivers, duct tape, nails and screws.
During a previous storm incident at our university, computers, critical files, and other equipment were placed in red bags and opaque black bags for protection. Clean up teams threw them out without question. Nothing was ever retrieved from those bags. Use clear bags for things you want to save. Label them with building and room numbers for ease of retrieval.
During an emergency, you have to be very clear in what you expect, you must require feedback and you must follow-up.
Anticipate no phone service including cells, no email, no pagers. Use family band 2-way radios, CB radios, message boards or even, chalk on the wall. Get creative but get your message out. Partner with your campus police or security department for emergency communications.
Once a threat is imminent, time becomes very short. The key is to do the major preparation well in advance.
At Storm Warning:
• Complete staging of equipment/supplies
• Secure facilities
• Initiate special housing procedures
• Complete biohazard shutdowns
• Protect equipment
• Shelter personnelBy the time a hurricane warning is issued, most storm preparation is complete. Some items remain.
BSL4 can be decontaminated in < 2 hours. Animals requiring relocation are placed at pre-determined sites. Non essential personnel must leave the island before conditions prevent evacuation. This is often hours before the storm threat becomes apparent. Computer equipment is powered down, packaged and stored in interior offices. Labs are secured and locked.
During the course of the storm all remaining personnel are housed at the hospital tower.
All personnel are subject to reassignment to any emergency duty required to maintain human health and safety.
Lessons Learned from Tropical Storms
Francis, Allison, Lili, Isodore and Hurricane Faye:• The NWS makes mistakes
• Key personnel will not be available
• Rumor control requires full attention
• The news media will spread false information
• There is never enough time to prepare
• Normal communications will fail
• Murphy will triumph!The Houston/Galveston area got burned twice in 2 years – no one expected how bad the “minor” storms would be. Then, this past hurricane season saw three close calls with direct threats to the Texas coast. All of the storms this year missed. Preparation must start and continue until all threat is gone.
Always have backups for key personnel. Information from the news media may be inaccurate or misleading. Use all means available to keep information flowing. Be prepared to dispel rumors.Your normal channels of communication will fail. Sometimes well in advance of a storm and sometimes due to overloading, not the storm itself. A good plan last month might need revision after it is tested during an emergency this month. People do not react normally when stressed.
• Reestablish office functions
• Resume normal husbandry practices
• Review/critique emergency plan -- make necessary changes
• Plan for next emergency
• Expect six month return to normalStorm planning also includes plans for recovery. You should know how you will restore your business functions. Do you have alternate ordering, census and billing methods? What about alternate suppliers for mission critical feed, bedding or other items? What about alternate delivery methods if supply lines are down? How will employees be paid if mainframe systems are down? Do you have plans for dealing with the stress and trauma associated with disasters?
Part of recovery is an assessment of the current plan. What worked or did not work and why. Schedule a review session as soon as possible after the emergency. Encourage team members to write down impressions during or soon after the event. Those are very helpful during a plan critique. Riding out a storm only takes a few hours. Recovery may take years.The actual plan document may sit on a shelf during the entire storm episode. It is the thinking going into the plan that will help you survive an emergency. This presentation described very briefly some of the issues related to hurricane planning on the Gulf Coast. As with Texas weather, our plans are changeable to meet the situation at the time. For additional information or detail, contact John Donaho at jcdonaho@utmb.edu
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