Author: Kenneth Bybee

Power has been restored to University Housing.

As the Greater Houston area is recovering after Tropical Storm Beryl, UTHealth Houston continues to adjust its work and learning schedules to meet the needs of students, trainees, faculty, and staff.

Beginning Wednesday, July 10, most in-person and virtual classes, as well as clinical rotations, will resume for students. Each school will communicate additional details and will work directly with students who experienced storm damage and are not yet able to return to coursework and training.

Nonclinical employees may return to the Houston campus or continue to work remotely as approved by their supervisor. Timekeeping instructions are forthcoming.

While widespread power outages continue to present a challenge for a number of our clinic locations, most expect to be reopened by tomorrow.

• Employees at UT Physicians should monitor their emails, phones, UTPhysicians.com, and the UT Physicians intranet for clinic updates.
• UT Dentists personnel and UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry students, residents, faculty, and staff should monitor their email, phones, and school website for updates on clinical operations.
• Faculty and staff members working with our hospital partners, including Memorial Hermann Health System and Harris Health System, should check with their supervisors.
• UTHealth Houston Behavioral Sciences Campus’ emergency status lifted at noon today.
• For updates on UT Health Services and Employee Health, please visit their website.
• Thanks to phenomenal teams working around the clock to remove storm debris, repair damage, and keep our systems and facilities up and running, UTHealth Houston is safe and open for all our students, trainees, faculty, and staff.

The Operations Center Building (OCB) is running on emergency power. With the exception of University Housing and the Recreation Center, we have electricity, air conditioning, and internet access in all our academic, research, and administrative facilities. Most routes into the Texas Medical Center are clear. The UTHealth Houston shuttles are in service, and parking garages and lots are open. The French Corner will be up and running serving breakfast and lunch tomorrow at its McGovern Medical School and School of Dentistry locations. Please continue to stay safe, and we look forward to welcoming you all back to campus.

With the latest forecast showing heavy rain and strong winds for the Greater Houston area overnight and tomorrow, for the safety of our community, UTHealth Houston will shift to remote work and learning for most of its activities on Monday, July 8.

For students, in-person classroom and clinical activities will either be remote or canceled at the direction of the schools.

Non-clinical employees who can work remotely are encouraged to do so, provided it is approved by their supervisor, and their remote work area is not actively affected by adverse conditions including power outages, internet disruptions, flooding, etc. Please check the employee guide on adverse weather events.

As a precaution, most flood doors on the Houston campus are being closed this evening. Faculty and staff will still be able to access buildings, as needed, to continue mission-critical operations.

Clinical activities

UT Physicians should monitor their emails, phones, UTPhysicians.com, and the UT Physicians intranet for clinic delays or closures.

Patient appointments for Monday at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry clinics are being rescheduled.

Faculty and staff members working with our hospital partners, including Memorial Hermann Health System and Harris Health System, should check with their supervisors.

UTHealth Houston Behavioral Sciences Campus moved to emergency status at 7 p.m. tonight. Employees should follow inclement weather procedures and call 713-741-5001 to check the status of the psychiatric center.

UT Health Services will be closed Monday, July 8. Appointments will be rescheduled. For more information, visit their website.

Other impacted facilities and services

The parking garage at the Jesse Jones Library Building and basement-level parking at the UTHealth Houston Professional Building will be closed through Monday.

The UTHealth Houston shuttles may operate on a reduced schedule based on inclement weather, and METRO services may also be impacted.

The Recreation Center will be closed on Monday.

Your safety is our top priority

We anticipate being able to resume services and in-person work and learning on Tuesday, July 9.

The UTHealth Houston Safety, Health, Environment, and Risk Management Team is watching the evolving weather conditions within the Texas Medical Center and across our region. Any changes to campus operations will be communicated through the UTHealth Houston Emergency Communications website, UTHealth Houston ALERT, Inside UTHealth Houston, and university social media channels.

As Tropical Storm/Hurricane Beryl makes landfall and moves through the region, please monitor conditions, city and county orders, and reputable news sources to keep yourself and your family safe.

Stay alert, be prepared, and remember that safety always comes first.