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June 29, 2022

Wednesday, June 29, 2022: 4:35 p.m.

Potential weather event starting today through Friday morning

Texas Children’s leadership and the Organizational Resilience team are closely monitoring a weather event that could impact the Houston and Beaumont areas from this afternoon through Friday morning.

Scattered thunderstorms are possible later today that will be capable of producing lightning, gusty winds and heavy downpours. Showers and thunderstorms are expected to become more widespread along the coast overnight and spread inland through Thursday, with storms becoming more numerous late Thursday and into Friday morning.

Showers and thunderstorms are forecast to bring a total of 4-6 inches of rain to Houston through Friday, with 2-4 inches expected in Beaumont. Though scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible through Saturday in Austin, College Station and Tyler, widespread significant weather is not expected in those areas.

Team members commuting to campus and TCP/UC locations from now through Friday morning are advised to follow local news and weather for traffic and safety alerts, use caution when navigating roadways and plan for additional time to travel through stormy conditions and detour around flooded areas. Please also remain in contact with your local leadership about your status and any impacts to local operations.

For resources to monitor travel and road conditions, visit Houston Transtar and Drive Texas. To sign up for emergency text message alerts, follow these instructions.

Thank you for your attention and always operating safely.

Gaurav Khadse
Administrator on Call

February 4, 2022

Friday, February 4, 2022: 6:15 a.m.

Friday operational updates for Houston, Katy and The Woodlands

As of this morning, Texas Children’s leadership and our Organizational Resilience team have met to assess the current forecast and road conditions, and in many cases have driven into the Texas Medical Center to experience this morning’s commute.

At this time, temperatures are below freezing; however, the moderate precipitation from yesterday evening has only resulted in some light ice on the roadways. That being said, please plan for extra travel time if commuting to work this morning and proceed with attention and caution. Only travel on routes you feel are safe and be particularly aware of icy areas and impacted overpasses. To see up-to-date listings of known road closures or detours, please visit Houston Transtar or Drive Texas.

As communicated yesterday, our clinical staff will conduct one-to-one hand offs this morning to ensure coverage in our clinical areas. At this time, the forecast is expected to improve over the next few hours and to be above freezing later this morning. We will continue to monitor local conditions and provide updates as necessary.

For all other operational areas and local practices, please stay in touch with your leadership to determine any other changes to your operational schedule.

To sign up for emergency text message alerts, follow these instructions.

Thank you for your attention. Stay safe.

Lance Lightfoot
Administrator on Call

Dan DiPrisco
EVP on Call

 

Thursday, February 3, 2022: 8:15 p.m.

Thursday evening operational updates for winter storm

As we continue to monitor the ongoing winter weather, our leadership and Organizational Resilience team is meeting regularly to review the latest forecast, along with any potential impacts on local conditions. Although the winter storm is moving through the area at a slightly faster pace than what was forecasted, please do not let your guard down as we head in to the evening and morning hours, when freezing temperatures are expected for much of our operational areas.

For resources to monitor travel and road conditions, visit Houston Transtar and Drive Texas. For localized updates, see below:

• Austin: Precipitation is tapering off, but freezing temperatures will continue overnight and into tomorrow morning, causing hazardous road conditions. Friday afternoon’s temperatures will rise above freezing and then dip below freezing again overnight, causing the potential for icy conditions Saturday morning. Austin team members are asked to consult with their leadership on details for their location and practice area.
• College Station: Wintry precipitation will continue to taper off over the next several hours, but freezing temperatures will continue overnight and into tomorrow morning. Please stay in touch with your leadership about local operations.
• Houston/Katy/Woodlands: For Katy and The Woodlands, heavy precipitation is currently coming to an end, and freezing temperatures are expected overnight. For the rest of the Houston area, precipitation is expected to taper off later this evening, at which time temperatures will also fall to just below freezing. For those commuting to and from work Friday morning, please plan for extra travel time to allow for detours around icy areas or impacted overpasses. As previously communicated, clinical staff will conduct one-to-one hand offs during Friday morning’s shift change. Team members at our community practices are asked to continue consulting with their leadership about any impacts to local operations.
• Tyler/Longview: Wintry precipitation will continue to taper off over the next several hours, but freezing temperatures will continue overnight and into tomorrow morning. Services for Health Plan members will continue. There are multiple contingency plans in place if needed and we are reaching out to impacted members and providers as appropriate. Please stay in touch with leadership about local operations.

We will continue to monitor the latest forecast and travel conditions and provide an update early tomorrow morning. To sign up for emergency text message alerts, follow these instructions.

Thank you for your attention.

Lance Lightfoot
Administrator on Call

Dan DiPrisco
EVP on Call

 

Thursday, February 3, 2022: 11:20 a.m.

Thursday operational updates for winter storm

Texas Children’s leadership and our Organizational Resilience team continue to monitor the ongoing winter weather moving across Texas, and are meeting regularly to review the latest forecast, along with any potential impacts on schools, roads, utilities and other hospitals in the Texas Medical Center. As of this morning, the forecast has not changed significantly from yesterday, and for most of our operational areas we are only expecting minor disruptions. For localized updates, please see below.

• Austin: Freezing temperatures and precipitation have moved into the area causing hazardous travel conditions. This is expected to continue throughout the day and into tomorrow morning. Friday afternoon’s temperatures will rise above freezing and then dip below freezing again overnight, causing the potential for icy conditions Saturday morning. Austin team members are asked to consult with their leadership on details for their location and practice area.
• College Station: Wintry precipitation is moving into the area this morning. We are monitoring this closely to determine operational decisions. Please stay in touch with your leadership about local operations.
• Houston/Katy/Woodlands/Beaumont: Freezing temperatures and precipitation are approaching the area from the northwest and are expected to reach our Katy and The Woodlands campuses this evening around 5-6 p.m. For those working and/or living in those areas, please plan for extra travel time and consider arriving early for your shift to avoid inclement weather.

At this time, the bulk of freezing precipitation is expected to arrive within Houston during the evening hours, which may result in some wintry conditions into Friday morning. For those commuting on Friday morning, please plan for extra travel time to allow for detours around icy areas or impacted overpasses. As this will occur during our morning shift change, clinical staff will conduct one-to-one hand offs. During Friday afternoon, temperatures are expected to rise above freezing before dipping back below freezing overnight. Minor travel issues are possible for Saturday morning, though precipitation is expected to be minimal. At this time, the Houston area expects limited precipitation during a limited window this evening. As a result, we do not expect to activate our ride-out operations, despite any potential school closures. Please prepare your back-up child care plans in the case of school closures. We will continue to monitor local conditions and will provide updates as necessary. Team members at our community practices are asked to continue consulting with their leadership about any impacts to local operations.

• Tyler/Longview: Wintry precipitation is moving into the area this morning and road conditions will continue to worsen. Services for Health Plan members will continue. There are multiple contingency plans in place if needed and we are reaching out to impacted members and providers as appropriate. Please stay in touch with leadership about local operations.

Safety is our highest priority, so please follow the local weather for traffic and safety alerts before traveling. Use caution when navigating roadways and pay close attention to bridges and overpasses, as water can freeze quickly with a sudden drop in temperature.

To sign up for emergency text message alerts, follow these instructions.

Thank you for your attention.

Lance Lightfoot
Administrator on Call

Dan DiPrisco
EVP on Call

 

Wednesday, February 2, 2022: 8:30 p.m.

Operational updates for winter storm

Texas Children’s leadership and Organizational Resilience are continuing to closely monitor weather conditions across our operational areas and are meeting frequently to evaluate any expected impacts on our care delivery. Since this morning’s message, (below on this page) the forecast has not changed significantly, as we still expect freezing temperatures and frozen precipitation to move across much of Texas throughout Thursday and Friday. To see updates for specific areas, please see below.

• Austin: With weather conditions resulting in local impacts and school closures, we anticipate our community operations to be impacted. Please consult with your leader on the details for your location and practice area.
• College Station: As we continue to monitor road conditions, please stay in touch with leadership about local operations.
• Houston/Katy/Woodlands/Beaumont: At this time, conditions are not expected to be inclement until Friday morning, when some light icing on the roadways is expected. As such, for Friday morning, please plan for extra travel time to allow for detours around icy areas or impacted overpasses. As this will occur during our morning shift change, clinical staff will conduct one-to-one hand offs. At this time, we do not expect to activate ride-out operations and are not anticipating impacts to care delivery for our patients and members. We will continue to closely monitor for any changes in the forecast.
• Tyler/Longview: Services for Health Plan members will proceed under normal operations at this time. There are multiple contingency plans in place if needed and we are reaching out to impacted members as appropriate.

As stated earlier, safety is our highest priority, so please follow the local news and weather for traffic and safety alerts before traveling. Use caution when navigating roadways and pay close attention to bridges and overpasses, as water can freeze quickly with a sudden drop in temperature.

To sign up for emergency text message alerts, follow these instructions.

Thank you for your attention.

Lance Lightfoot
Administrator on Call

Dan DiPrisco
EVP on Call

 

Wednesday, February 2, 2022: 10:40 a.m.

Potential wintry precipitation starting Thursday

Texas Children’s leadership and the Department of Organizational Resilience are closely monitoring a winter storm front with freezing temperatures and potential frozen precipitation across the region.

• Austin: Freezing temperatures and possible wintry precipitation will move into the area Thursday around 2-3 a.m. bringing a risk of icy conditions all day Thursday and into Friday morning. Please continue to monitor local conditions and stay in touch with your leadership for updated information on business operations.
• College Station: Freezing temperatures and possible wintry precipitation will move into the area Thursday morning bringing a risk of icy conditions all day Thursday and into Friday morning.
• Houston: Freezing temperatures and possible wintry precipitation are expected to arrive across the region starting Thursday evening, which could create icy conditions for the Friday morning commute mainly west and northwest of downtown. Temperatures are expected to rise above freezing Friday afternoon. There will be another potential light freeze Saturday morning.
• Tyler/Longview: Freezing temperatures and wintry precipitation are expected starting early Thursday morning and will persist throughout the day and into Friday. Icy conditions are expected with the possibility of snow flurries with accumulation of around an inch.

Safety is our highest priority, so please follow the local news and weather for traffic and safety alerts when traveling. Use caution when navigating roadways and pay close attention to bridges and overpasses, as water can freeze very quickly with a sudden drop in temperatures. Plan for additional travel time to make detours or adjust your route if necessary.

TCUC/TCP employees should consult their respective leadership over the next 24-48 hours for updated information on business operations.

Please note the important reminders below for personal/home preparedness for this cold weather event:

• Protect all exposed pipes, shut off and drain sprinkler systems. Open cabinet doors and closet doors to get as much heat against outside facing wall pipes as possible. In some cases, the best course of action may be to shut off water to a structure and drain pipes overnight when water usage is low to avoid pipes freezing and bursting.
• Heavily cover and protect any tropical vegetation, citrus or vulnerable plants.
• Pets should have proper shelter, food and water. Normal water supplies could freeze over, including stock ponds and lakes.

To sign up for emergency text message alerts, follow these instructions.

Thank you for your attention.

Lance Lightfoot
Administrator on Call

Dan DiPrisco
EVP on Call

 

Monday, January 31, 2022: 12 p.m.

Potential localized flash flooding – prepare for afternoon commute

Texas Children’s leadership and the Department of Organizational Resilience are closely monitoring a strong upper level storm system with potential for flash flooding across Houston, Austin and College Station.

The heaviest rain is expected between 3-9 p.m. tonight, which may impact both the afternoon commute and shift changes for our employees. Flash flooding, some river flooding and heavy downpours in very short time periods are among the possible threats.

Given the forecast, we advise our team members and medical staff to closely follow the local news and weather for traffic and safety alerts when planning their commute. Please use caution when navigating roadways and plan for additional travel time to make detours or adjust your route if necessary.

To sign up for emergency text message alerts, follow these instructions.

Thank you for your attention.

Lance Lightfoot
Administrator on Call

Dan DiPrisco
EVP on Call

September 22, 2020

Tuesday, September 22, 2020: 3:15 p.m.

Storm expected to move out of the area tomorrow, continue exercising caution

As Texas Children’s leadership and the Department of Emergency Management continue to closely monitor Tropical Storm Beta and its impacts to the Greater Houston area and east Texas, it appears the storm will be moving out of the areas by early tomorrow.

Thunderstorms are expected this afternoon with the heaviest rainfall occurring throughout the Houston area and in the Medical Center this evening, continuing through about 1 am Wednesday. Significant rainfall is expected later this afternoon into the evening hours in the Beaumont area with heavy down pours continuing until around 7 am Wednesday.

Braes Bayou has receded significantly in the past few hours, and streets near the Medical Center and throughout Greater Houston are primarily clear, with only isolated issues along 288, 610 South and I-45 South. Priority 1 flood measures, including the closure of B2 Level flood doors, will remain in place through the evening as a precaution. Parking garages have not been impacted and remain accessible.

Operational impacts:

• Clinical staff at the hospital campuses will continue one-to-one hand-offs as needed this evening and in the morning. Sleep arrangements will be available for staff as a convenience, but no special pay practices will be activated.
• Texas Children’s Pediatrics, Texas Children’s Specialty Care practices, and The Centers for Children and Women have made appropriate scheduling adjustments for tomorrow, which will continue to be communicated by leaders within those areas.
• With the storm expected to wind down tomorrow, we are proceeding with normal business operations across the Texas Children’s system, and we are continuing normal pay practices.

Please continue to exercise caution when navigating roadways, and avoid flooded areas as you head home or make your way into work. Plan for additional travel time, and be prepared to identify alternate routes in case roadways are flooded. Also, be sure to communicate with your leaders should your arrival to work be delayed due to the inclement weather conditions.

Also, be certain to stay up to date with Texas Children’s Emergency Management communications. These will be sent via texts, phone calls and emails through the Texas Children’s Notification System. More information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, is available on the Emergency Management Connect site and through the National Weather Service website.

Thank you for your commitment to caring for our patients and their families. We will communicate additional updates as the situation warrants.

 

Tuesday, September 22, 2020: 6:00 a.m.

Heavy rainfall continues, minor operational impacts possible

Texas Children’s leadership and the Department of Emergency Management is continuing to closely monitor Tropical Storm Beta and its impacts to the Greater Houston area and east Texas.

Rainfall is expected to continue throughout the areas, remaining stationery over the Houston area for the next few hours and tracking eastward. Strong wind gusts and the threat of isolated tornadoes remain. A lull in the rainfall is expected from noon to around 5 pm today, with rainfall again increasing this evening, continuing throughout the night and into the early morning hours on Wednesday before moving to the east.

Overnight, Braes Bayou elevated significantly, but is not yet at critical levels. Texas Children’s has put Priority 1 flood measures in place, closing the B2 Level flood doors. However, all garages currently remain open and accessible.

Road conditions throughout the Greater Houston area are primarily clear, with the exception of some adverse road conditions along 288 and 45 South.

Operational impacts:

• Clinical staff at the hospital campuses will continue one-to-one hand-offs as needed. Understand there may be delays, and expect to remain in place until colleagues can safely arrive.
• Staff at Texas Children’s Pediatrics and Texas Children’s Specialty Care practices will receive additional information and direction from leaders in those areas regarding any expected opening delays or operational impacts to specific locations.
• Beyond those impacts, we are proceeding with normal business operations across the Texas Children’s system, and we are continuing normal pay practices.

We ask for your patience and agility as staff, employees and families navigate the weather conditions today, as some delays are likely.

Please continue to exercise caution when navigating roadways, and avoid flooded areas as you head home or make your way into work. Plan for additional travel time, and be prepared to identify alternate routes in case roadways are flooded. Also, be sure to communicate with your leaders should your arrival to work be delayed due to the inclement weather conditions.

Also, be certain to stay up to date with Texas Children’s Emergency Management communications. These will be sent via texts, phone calls and emails through the Texas Children’s Notification System. More information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, is available on the Emergency Management Connect site and through the National Weather Service website.

Thank you for your commitment to caring for our patients and their families. We will communicate additional updates as the situation warrants.

 

Monday, September 21, 2020: 2:44 p.m.

Heavy rainfall expected to continue over next few days

Texas Children’s leadership and the Department of Emergency Management is continuing to closely monitor Tropical Storm Beta and its impacts to the Greater Houston area and east Texas.

Rainfall is expected to continue throughout the areas, with the heaviest bands of rain expected overnight and into the morning hours. Localized wind gusts are also expected with the possibility of weak, isolated tornados within the areas of strong rain bands. Be mindful that the extended rain will elevate the risk of ponding and flash flooding over the next few days.

Please continue to exercise caution when navigating roadways, and avoid flooded areas as you head home or make your way into work. Plan for additional travel time, and be prepared to identify alternate routes in case roadways are flooded. Also, be sure to communicate with your leaders should your arrival to work be delayed due to the inclement weather conditions.

Clinical staff will continue one-to-one hand-offs as needed. In addition, we are continuing normal business operations and normal pay practices. We will keep you posted should this status change.

Please be certain to stay up to date with Texas Children’s Emergency Management communications. These will be sent via texts, phone calls and emails through the Texas Children’s Notification System. More information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, is available on the Emergency Management Connect site and through the National Weather Service website.

Thank you for your commitment to caring for our patients and their families. We will communicate additional updates as the situation warrants.

 

Sunday, September 20, 2020: 2:50 p.m.

Heavy rainfall expected Monday and Tuesday

Texas Children’s leadership and the Department of Emergency Management are closely monitoring the weather as the Greater Houston area and east Texas is expecting a potential threat of heavy rainfall early tomorrow morning, continuing throughout Tuesday. With the heavy rainfall, localized flash flooding is possible in portions of Houston and east Texas.

We urge employees to exercise caution when navigating roadways and avoid flooded areas as you head home or make your way into work. Please plan for additional travel time, and be prepared to identify alternate routes in case roadways are flooded. Also, be sure to communicate with your leaders should your arrival to work be delayed due to the inclement weather conditions.

As for clinical staff, we will proceed with one-to-one hand-offs on Monday and Tuesday for those delayed in arriving at work due to weather and road conditions. At this time, we are planning for normal operations, and we are continuing normal pay practices. We will keep you posted should this status change.

Please be certain to stay up to date with Texas Children’s Emergency Management communications. These will be sent via texts, phone calls and emails through the Texas Children’s Notification System. More information, including the latest weather, traffic and road conditions, is available on the Emergency Management Connect site and through the National Weather Service website.

Thank you for your commitment to caring for our patients and their families. We will communicate additional updates as the situation warrants.