It’s been 20 years since Tropical Storm Allison swirled into Houston – deluging the area with more than 35 inches of rain; submerging more than 50,000 homes and 70,000 vehicles under water; and racking up $5 billion in damages as the costliest urban flood on record in the United States.
Yet even as the Texas Medical Center sustained roughly $2 billion of that damage and Memorial Hermann, Houston Methodist and St. Luke’s were forced to evacuate hundreds of patients, the doors of Texas Children’s remained open to our patients and families without any interruptions to care.
That same resolve and resiliency have defined and sustained our organization through seasons of challenge and joy alike. And the lessons we learned from the storm – to prepare for every possibility, expect the unexpected and always rally together as a team – have continued to keep us sturdy and strong.
Proactive planning makes a difference
Mere months before Allison hit, Texas Children’s Board of Trustees had approved a plan to install five submarine-style doors in tunnels leading to and from our facilities. The doors were installed just 30 days prior to the storm’s landfall, thanks in large part to the foresight of Trustee George Peterkin who evaluated the potential for flooding and predicted, “It’s not if, it’s when.”
Texas Children’s had also implemented disaster and perimeter protection plans in the previous weeks, and team members received training on flood protection systems.
When the worst of Allison’s rain began pounding the Houston area and flash flooding loomed, Texas Children’s quickly activated the Command Center to closely monitor the developing situation and continually chart the best course of action.
Quick-thinking team members in Engineering and Environmental Services also ensured a successful conversion to auxiliary power, making Texas Children’s one of just two Medical Center hospitals where the lights stayed on despite widespread power outages.
Helping our community and each other
Despite taking on 6.5 million gallons of water in total during Allison that affected systems from Mechanical and Communication to Transportation and Food Services, Texas Children’s was still able to accept patient transfer requests from other Medical Center institutions.
Every pediatric renal dialysis patient from Memorial Hermann was moved here for care, as well as 22 critically ill adult patients from St. Luke’s and two bone marrow transplants from Methodist. Two operating rooms were made available, and an entire 12-bed unit was dedicated to Methodist patients for post-operative intensive care and recovery.
In the wake of the storm, Texas Children’s also launched the Employee Assistance Network to help team members who suffered storm-related loss or damage. Today, its successor – the Employee Assistance Financial Fund (EFAF) – is a valuable resource for those experiencing unexpected, unforeseen or unavoidable emergencies.