Post-Allison Storm Floods, Closes Medical School
HOUSTON—(Jun. 25, 2001)—The University of Texas Medical School at Houston will remain closed Tuesday, June 12, after heavy rainfall flooded the building at 6431 Fannin early Saturday.
In this view of the loading dock that leads to the basement of the medical school building, a hose releases storm water from the basement onto M.D. Anderson Boulevard, so that storm drains can carry the water away.
Suddenly rising waters filled the Medical School Building basement and left more than a foot of water on the ground floor early Saturday. Final efforts to clear the basement of water and restore full electrical power to the building continued late Monday.
Five other schools and all other units of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston were open Monday and are operating normally.
The Medical School was one of more than a dozen Texas Medical Center institutions that suffered power outages caused by massive flooding from Tropical Storm Allison. UT-Houston clinicians, faculty and staff worked through the weekend to deal with the storm's challenges, including providing medical care and evacuating patients at Memorial Hermann Hospital after it also lost all electrical power.
"A large number of doctors, nurses and staff worked through the weekend to keep people alive," said James T. Willerson, M.D.,
UT-Houston president. "Whatever our losses prove to be, it all would have been much worse without them. We need to find a way to honor them at some future date."
Assessment of damage to the Medical School building, equipment and the university's overall research enterprise continues. The Medical School basement housed some 2,500 animals for research, which were lost. Other animals housed on higher floors of the Medical School and at other UT-Houston facilities were unharmed.
Partial backup power was restored to the Medical School Sunday and some faculty and staff were able to enter the building to rescue tissue specimens or bring in dry ice to keep other specimens cold. However, an additional safety concern regarding potentially hazardous equipment in the basement caused the building to be evacuated and closed again just before noon Monday. The building remained closed into late Monday evening as safety officials consulted equipment manufacturers about possible hazards.
Medical School faculty with questions about their research or office space should call 713-500-3370.
Over the weekend, Medical School and UT-Houston facilities management staff organized reclamation and cleanup efforts which included pumping approximately 10 million gallons of water from the basement, keeping emergency generators fueled and maintaining safety standards.
The hose on the ground (at left) in front of the medical school's John Freeman Building, is pumping water from the basement of the medical school onto M.D. Anderson Boulevard.
The university's telephone service, Internet access and email were mostly restored Monday after the storm shut those systems down on Friday night. The lone exception was the voicemail system, which remained out late Monday.
Other UT-Houston buildings sustained some minor damage from leaks and flooding. Power was cut to most but was restored Sunday.
UT-Houston Medical School employees can check for additional closure dates by calling 713-500-7999 or 713-500-9996.
Media Line: 713-500-3030
Media Contact: Meredith Raine