The take-home message from this year’s hurricane preparedness meeting for the UTMB community was clear: Don’t be 
complacent.
“It’s not if a hurricane is coming, it’s when,” said Dr. Selwyn Rogers, UTMB’s chief medical officer and new institutional emergency preparedness officer. “June 1 marked the beginning of hurricane season, and while we always hope for a calm season, we must be prepared at all times to successfully weather any storm that comes our way.”
Rogers joined several UTMB leaders in Levin Hall on May 28 to talk about how to prepare for possible storms, including developing a plan for your household, becoming familiar with your department’s and your worksite’s disaster plan, and confirming with your supervisor what your role at work will be if an emergency arises.
While this hurricane season is predicted to be relatively quiet, Mike Mastrangelo, UTMB’s institutional preparedness program director, said major hurricane landfall is still possible.
“If we do get a hurricane, it’s more likely to be one that forms in the Gulf of Mexico, which means we have less lead time,” said Mastrangelo. “Normally we think about having a week’s notice before a major storm, but it’s possible we could only get two to three days’ notice. Although it’s good news that there’s a lower probability of a large storm, it only takes one, and we have to be prepared and ready to mobilize quickly.”
Please update your UTMB Alerts information now. Although we are all automatically enrolled in this mass notification system with our university contact information, the best way to receive emergency alerts quickly is through your mobile device via text or voice message. To add or update your mobile information, search your name in the UTMB Online Directory, click the “edit data” button above your listing and fill in the emergency notification information.
Also visit the Emergency Operations website, which has a wealth of information and resources regarding hurricane prep, including the UTMB Institutional Emergency Operations Plan.
The presentation materials and video from this year’s hurricane prep meeting are available here.