Hurricane Ike Preparations

Colleges and Universities A-Z Rice University
21

<p>Update from DD at Brown College 1:00 pm Friday</p>

<p>DD reports the following:
1. President Leebron is out and about on campus this morning talking to students. DD loved it.
2. DD was asked to tape her 2nd story windows--1st floor windows have been boarded up.
3. Food as usual (good!) in the serveries this morning, but the students will get MRE's tomorrow. (DD says she has alwyas wanted to eat an MRE.)
4. She has been asked to be in her dorm room by 7:30 pm. She can stay their until winds hit some specified velocity (she thought 50 mph) at which point Brown students will move to the Brown tower away from windows.
5. DD says the students are calm, and that frankly she is a little excited about the big event.
6. DD says Rice is communicating well with the students, and seems totally prepared.</p>

22

<p>We got most of the same information at Sid. My parents who are pretty nervous feel reassured that Rice is doing a good job of keeping us safe. I personally am on lower 5th (which correlates to 9th floor for those not familiar with Sid) so I plan on moving into the commons once the storm hits.
It's starting to get windy, judging by the trees outside.</p>

23

<p>One question: What is an MRE? </p>

<p>One comment: I appreciate the updates and the letter from president Leebron.</p>

24

<p>MRE is a freezedried meal-- used for camping, the military, NASA, etc. It stands for "meals ready to eat". Not known to be particularly palatable, but it is better than starvation!</p>

25

<p>Regarding MREs--</p>

<p>I recall in the dim recesses of my mind that there was some discussion after Rita in 2005 that Rice (and perhaps other institutions) would stockpile MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) for an occasion such as Ike.</p>

<p>I've read that there are several varieties of these "things" and that they could include items such as crackers and, peanut butter. Ummmm. Yummm.</p>

26

<p>Just got call from son, his college has moved into the eaterie for the rest of day/night/morning. The winds have picked up. He stepped out to let me hear the winds ... thanks. I can imagine it will only pick up in strength. I look forward to any & all calls he can make when he can make them. Good luck, Rice folks. Good luck to the entire southern coastal areas ... we definitely have them on our minds.</p>

27

<p>6 pm Friday Update from President Leebron:
(Amazing that the students got a cooked meal for dinner!)</p>

<p>6 p.m. update
Dear parents, relatives and friends of Rice students, </p>

<p>Ping and I just returned from visiting student shelters in McNair Hall and the north colleges -- Brown, Jones and Martell. During lunchtime earlier today we visited with students and college masters in the south colleges -- Baker, Will Rice, Lovett, Hansen, Wiess and Sid Rich. We found them cheerful, calm and secure.</p>

<p>I’m happy to report that the campus is thoroughly prepared. All construction sites have been secured, and loose items throughout the campus have been tied down or removed. The wind has begun to pick up and will continue to increase during the night. The good news is that most predictions now have the wind in our area of Houston reaching a maximum sustained velocity of about 70 miles per hour, slightly less than hurricane force -- although that, of course, could change.</p>

<p>Ping and I spent good deal of time talking with students during dinner, and many were enjoying the heightened sense of camaraderie resulting from riding out the storm together. Undaunted by the approaching storm, the kitchen staff prepared a delicious meal this evening at the colleges. At the same time, MREs -- meals ready to eat – are ready for breakfast tomorrow. We hope that by tomorrow evening we can have the serveries in the colleges preparing food again. Our campus police and other support staff joined the students in the colleges for dinner. We are truly all in this together. </p>

<p>Ping and I have returned to our house across the street from campus to be with our two children for the evening. After our tours, we can again assure you that Rice is extremely well prepared for Ike’s winds and rain. The news reports about mandatory evacuations do not apply to the part of Houston we are in — indeed, the authorities have encouraged those in our area to remain in their homes. In fact, Rice is located on some of Houston’s higher ground. We anticipate, depending on the amount of rain, some possible flooding on campus, but nothing that would be threatening to the well-being of our students. We could lose power on campus, but in that unlikely event we can call on backup power generation. Please continue to visit Rice</a> University for updates. </p>

<p>On behalf of all the people working tonight to keep our students safe and campus secure, </p>

<p>President David Leebron</p>

28

<p>I found the following on a blog from Robin Foreman, Rice's Dean of Undergraduates. I believe this went out this morning.</p>

<p>I am writing, in this last calm afternoon before Ike reaches our shores, to help clarify some of the messages you may have been receiving from others over the last few days, and to ask your help in making sure that everyone remains as safe as possible. We are fortunate that Rice is considered to be one of the safest places in Houston for riding out even the most severe storm. The university is well-prepared with plenty of food, water, and other supplies, as well as secure shelters for our student population. We encourage you to let family members know that you are safe, that Rice is among the most secure locations in Houston during a hurricane, and that updates on the hurricane and Rice’s preparedness can be found on the university webpage.</p>

<p>Here are some rules, tips and guidelines for the coming hours and days.</p>

<p>1) All students, whether living on- or off-campus, are strongly encouraged to shelter at your residential college. If you have not already done so, please inform your college if you have decided to shelter off-campus. If you are on campus, you must shelter at your own residential college.</p>

<p>2) You must check in at your college commons at noon today. Food will be provided for all, with or without a meal plan, and this will be true throughout the event.</p>

<p>3) Students may park in the West Lots 2-5, even without a parking sticker. Parking gate arms should be up (or off), but if you have any difficulties, please press the button on the box to speak with a parking attendant and you will be permitted to enter the lot.</p>

<p>4) You must be in your designated shelter at 7 pm tonight, after which no one will be allowed to leave the building until further notice.</p>

<p>5) Please charge up you cell phones, computers, hearing aid batteries, etc.</p>

<p>6) Make sure you bring all of your medications to the shelter.</p>

<p>7) As of now, and until further notice, this campus is dry. Any public possession or consumption of alcohol will be viewed as a violation of the code of student conduct. By definition, the designated shelters are public spaces. Anyone showing up at the shelter intoxicated will also be viewed as being in violation.</p>

<p>8) If you have a bicycle, please bring it inside. FE&P will be going around campus, cutting locks where possible, and moving the bikes into the college lobbies.</p>

<p>Of course, all of this may change as circumstances develop, and any instructions you receive from your college master supercede any other information you may receive.</p>

<p>We are likely facing a few days of inconvenience, and less comfort and freedom than we are accustomed to. It is times like these, however, that our community shows its true strength. In the days ahead, please be patient with each other; cooperate with your masters, RAs, and other university officials who are looking out for your safety; and, show extra consideration for your fellow students by honoring university policies.</p>

<p>Thank you for your help.</p>

<p>Robin</p>

<p>Robin Forman
Dean of Undergraduates</p>

29

<p>I am a grad student at Rice. I am now at home in Dallas with 12 of my friends. We got in our cars and drove north. </p>

<p>Better safe than sorry.</p>

30

<p>Good for you Elizabeth. Stay safe.</p>

<p>Anyone blogging from Rice?</p>

31

<p>So many thanks to all the students who've helped us feel connected
to campus. Looks like everyone will still be up for a while...
I hope everyone naps tomorrow! Thanks again for finding the time to write.
Your words are truly appreciated!</p>

32

<p>A little more about MREs -- jokes abound, such as MRE stands for "Meals Refused by Everyone" and "Three Lies for the Price of One: they're not meals, they're not ready, and they're not edible", they aren't THAT bad. The entree isn't freeze dried any more. It somes with a chemical heating packet so you can heat the entree and water for coffee. Vegetarian entrees are available. </p>

<p>Although none are gourmet, some are reasonably tasty.</p>

33

<p>update from Rice Emergency Site:
Hurricane Ike
Last Updated: 09/13/2008 5:34 AM </p>

<p>Hurricane Ike is passing through Houston with heavy winds and rain. The Rice campus has some downed trees and other minor damage. The shelters are secure and equipped with power, food and water. Students are safe and in good spirits. The storm is expected to last for several more hours.</p>

34

<p>Rice may among the few areas that still have power:</p>

<p>"The only parts of Houston with power were downtown and the massive medical center section."</p>

<p>Per news of 8 a.m. central time. (I don't know which site I lifted that from, but it was mentioned on several)</p>

35

<p>In my college, we spent 5 hours during the night in the hallways during the worst of the storm. A lot of us slept surprisingly well, even in the incredibly packed halls. Uncomfortable as it may have been, we had some great moments... like the guy who had to get from one end of the hallway to the other over about 70 bodies, so he climbed hand over hand down the ceiling pipe over everyone's head. </p>

<p>We never lost power, but there is a huge tree down right outside my window right next to a pond in the middle of a field. The wind's still blowing pretty heavily, so even though we are allowed back in our rooms, people from the other building or off-campus can't leave. </p>

<p>Lots of napping going on now. Our MRE's, for what it's worth, are pop tarts, nutrigrain bars, a fruit, a bottle of water, and two pieces of bread with prepackaged peanut butter and jelly. No worries about starving, though. At yesterday's meals, dining staff set out paper plates and saran wrap so people could take servery food back to the dorms. We're all stocked quite well.</p>

36

<p>No MREs up north...scones and bagels and mixed fruit and more pastries than I care to classify. God bless Chef Roger.</p>

<p>Haha ceiling guy cracks me up, heard about that...all I can see from here is that Brown's top story is stripped of bricks, though I know Sid blew out a window. Martel is perfectly fine. Going on a walk around campus as soon as they say it's okay.</p>

37

<p>DS said window blew out on 6th floor commons in Sid, and he has some wet carpet- possibly window blown open, but all else okay. :)</p>

38

<p>DD sent text around 10:30 am CDT and reported that it was raining sideways and the wind was still howling, but that the students near her at Brown were all safe and happy.</p>

<p>Thanks to all who are reporting.</p>

39

<p>My cousin's wife said their dau was OK in Jones, but I don't know when she heard from her (cell phone service was out this morning).</p>

<p>And yes, lucky you guys who got chef Roger. He was at the south servery for the first yr or so when DS was in Hanszen.Chef Roger is great! Take his class if you can!</p>

<p>Oh, and speaking of which-- whats with Pres Leebron misspelling Hanszen in his letter yesterday??!?!?!
[quote]
Ping and I just returned from visiting student shelters in McNair Hall and the north colleges -- Brown, Jones and Martell. During lunchtime earlier today we visited with students and college masters in the south colleges -- Baker, Will Rice, Lovett, Hansen, Wiess and Sid Rich. We found them cheerful, calm and secure.

[/quote]

Sigh....</p>

<p>Looks like some of the downtown office buildings took a pretty big hit (Chase Morgan and the parking deck across the street had windows all blown out, and reports of furniture flying from the chase bldg through the parking deck windows) and word that Brennan's restaurant burned down.. Still hoping for minimal challenges for Rice and Houston to get things back on track, up and running.</p>

40

<p>My floor rep said that the water pumps blew up and that there is very limited water on campus.</p>