Riding Out the Storm
Behind the Scenes at UH’s Emergency Operations Center
When a hurricane is approaching or severe weather threatens campus, there’s one place at the University of Houston where the response comes together: the Emergency Operations Center.
The Emergency Operations Center plays a crucial role in preparing for and responding to campus emergencies — from natural disasters to major disruptions and special events.
To learn more about how the center operates and the ways the UH community can stay prepared, we sat down with Ginger Walker, director of emergency management, for a behind-the-scenes look at the EOC.
Ginger Walker, director of emergency management, in the Emergency Operations Center.
Ginger Walker, director of emergency management, in the Emergency Operations Center.
For those who may not know, can you give us an overview of the Emergency Operations Center and its role at UH?
GW: The Emergency Operations Center is the location on campus where representatives from different areas of campus (depending on the type of emergency we are dealing with) can gather to coordinate information, resources, directives in order to efficiently respond to the incident.
The EOC is activated in the event of a major campus emergency, major disruption or even for some special events.
How does the center activate and operate differently during an emergency?
GW: The Office of Emergency Management uses multiple platforms to activate the Emergency Operations Center. The primary departments with a significant response role can activate the EOC by a simple call to our office.
During an emergency that is either planned (like a hurricane) or a special event, we can work with all the groups in advance to set up the proper coordination team. As an example, such teams might have representatives from UH Police Department, Fire and Life Safety, Marketing and Communications, Facilities Management, Student Affairs, etc.
How does your team prepare for hurricane season?
GW: We never stop preparing for hurricane season, and many of our methods apply to other emergencies as well. The EOC is kept ready for use year-round, with trained liaisons who participate in annual exercises to ensure their skills stay sharp. We also update and train our Ride-Out Teams each year — these are the individuals who remain on campus during storms, prepared to stay three to five days if needed.
OEM staff must also be ready at a moment’s notice, keeping Ride-Out kits on hand and making sure their families are safe before committing to campus duty. Ahead of June 1, the official start of hurricane season, we focus on outreach — updating our website, sharing preparedness resources and reviewing the Hurricane Planning Guide so that students, faculty and staff are as ready as possible.
For quick reference, Hurricane Evacuation Routes hang on the board at the Emergency Operations Center.
For quick reference, Hurricane Evacuation Routes hang on the board at the Emergency Operations Center.
Can you walk us through what “behind the scenes” looks like when your team is responding to a major weather event?
GW: We begin monitoring weather events days in advance, whether it’s a tropical system or an incoming arctic front. This involves assessing updates from the National Weather Service and our contract weather partner, and sharing information with university leadership, EOC liaisons and Ride-Out Teams through our virtual incident management system.
If the situation requires the campus to move to remote operations or close, we activate the EOC. Throughout the event, we join conference calls with weather partners and local emergency management offices while keeping University leadership and the UH community updated on forecasts, campus conditions and resource needs.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of what goes on inside the EOC during a major weather event.
When storm season has passed, what is the next biggest priority for the team?
GW: We are huge proponents of conducting after-action reviews. If we have had a storm or not, we reassess our processes, policies, equipment, resources and procedures to ensure we are maintaining the most efficient EOC possible for the University.
As someone who has been at UH for more than 25 years, what would you say has been the biggest improvement to emergency management on campus?
GW: The biggest improvement has been the establishment of the OEM, which has strengthened UH’s ability to plan, respond and recover from emergencies. From preparedness and continuity planning to EOC enhancements and information sharing, these efforts have made the campus more resilient.
I’m also grateful for the strong support from leadership, which has allowed the program to grow and ensured the University is better prepared than ever.
What should faculty, staff and students know about their role in campus emergency preparedness?
GW: Our website has a Be Prepared section [links are available at this end of the article] covering emergencies like active shooter, severe weather, hurricanes, floods, extreme heat and hazardous materials, plus links to UH Alerts and local weather resources.
For faculty, we also provide a Faculty Emergency Preparedness site with classroom posters, syllabus inserts, and guidance on roles, reporting and response during events such as active shooter, shelter-in-place or evacuation.
Lastly, it’s important for everyone to understand that preparedness is everyone’s responsibility. Taking a few minutes to learn how to prepare for various types of emergencies goes a long way. Little things like having an emergency supply kit on hand, knowing how to receive UH Alerts, and knowing how to respond will put you in a better position to do so should an emergency occur.
How is the EOC growing to meet new challenges?
The EOC grows each year. We had some very humble beginnings where we had to deploy tables and laptops in a conference room to now having a dedicated location with all the equipment and systems needed to prepare, respond and recover from an emergency. In recent years, we have outfitted the EOC with a new video wall and furniture to expand the number of representatives that we can fit in the center.
Again, without the support of our leadership and all the teams that collaborate with us, we would not have been able to expand and succeed.
Anything else you’d like to share?
A list of helpful resources:
Built with Shorthand