June 1st marks the beginning of the 2010 hurricane season. The NOAA's Climate Prediction Center estimates that this year will be one of the more active seasons; with a 70 percent chance the Atlantic basin will see 14 to 23 named storms before the season ends December 1st.
Now is the time to make your preparations both at work and at home. The UHDPS Fire Marshal’s Office has prepared a Severe Weather Response Planning Kit that can help you to prepare on-campus workplaces and respond to a weather related emergency. This can be found on the University’s Emergency Information website, www.uh.edu/emergency. For personal preparedness, the Texas Division of Emergency Management has provided a wealth of information on their website - http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/pages/weather_aware_hurricane.htm
As part of the University’s preparations for the hurricane season, we will be testing the Mass Notification Siren System on Friday, June 4th, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. The siren will sound for 30 seconds.
Although we will have UHDPS staff monitoring at various locations across campus during the test of the system we would appreciate your input as well. Upon the completion of the test, you can go to www.uh.edu/police/siren_test.html to describe your experience with the Siren System.
The siren will be activated by UHDPS in the event of the following emergencies:
- Severe weather conditions (Severe storms, tornado warning or other dangerous conditions)
- Active shooter or other acts of terrorism
- Major hazardous material incidents
- Other conditions that may require an emergency shelter in place action
In the event of an actual emergency, the PIER notification system will be used in concert with the siren system to disseminate further information to the U of H community. Only those persons that have current contact information in PeopleSoft will be able to receive these emergency messages. You can find instructions for updating your cell phone number, email address and other contact information at www.uh.edu/emergency.
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