The Crisis Management Team is monitoring the progress of Tropical Storm Harvey as it heads toward the Texas coast and the precautions and projections from weather and emergency services.

Harvey is expected to be named a Category 3 hurricane by the time it reaches the coast, and the National Weather Service has forecasted eight to 12 inches of rain and winds of 39 to 57 mph in the Houston area over the next four to five days.

The Crisis Management Team will be meeting at 3 p.m. today to make decisions about the university's operating status over the next several days and preparations to keep the campus safe. We will be communicating through the emergency notification system, so please go into your Esther account (esther.rice.edu) before 5 p.m. today to make sure the cellphone number listed in the Rice University Emergency Notification System is correct. We will also post information on emergency.rice.edu.

You can expect an update from the CMT by 6 tonight and regularly tomorrow.

In the meantime, here are some recommendations from the city of Houston's Emergency Operations Center, http://www.houstonemergency.org/. You can register at this site to receive updates from the city also:

Steps to take now

• Ensure your family has five to seven days' worth of food, water and supplies.
• This includes enough prescription medication to get you through this period, in case pharmacies and doctors' offices are closed.
• If you have seniors, children, pets or people with special circumstances, make sure their individual needs are met.
• Be sure you have a way to stay informed even when the power goes out, such as a battery-powered or hand-crank radio.
• Develop a family communication plan so that you know whom to check in with after a storm. Visit ready.gov for more information on how to do this.
• Monitor current conditions with the National Weather Service at weather.gov/houston, and the National Hurricane Center at hurricanes.gov.
• Know how to turn off your utilities. This includes electricity, water and gas. Only turn off gas if instructed by local officials or by CenterPoint Energy. For safety tips from CenterPoint, visit houstonemergency.org.
• Move vehicles away from low-lying areas, such as neighborhood streets that are prone to flooding.
• Ensure that street drains are clear of debris. Also, secure items that might float away in heavy rain and become lodged in drains. This can cause additional flooding.

Please heed the warnings from the weather agencies and government and keep yourself and your family safe this weekend. We expect that you will always remember to make your personal safety a priority regardless of the events scheduled in your day. If you feel your safety is as risk, you need to make the best decision for you. If that means you are unable to come to work or attend class, you should communicate with your supervisor or instructor.

Jerusha Kasch
Director of institutional crisis management