Emergency Response Plan  
  
 

Prospective Students | Current Students | Former Students | Visitors

Emergency Response Plan

Concept of Operations

Incident Command Team Member/Building Monitor Listing

Specific Emergency Response Procedures

Communications

Appendix/Forms

Additional Resources

In the event of a leak at a nearby refinery, campus occupants may be ordered to Shelter in Place or to Evacuate campus.  The order will be given by the office of the Vice President and CEO.  If ordered, students, faculty, staff and all guests should follow the procedures outlined below.

Shelter In Place Procedures

When emergency conditions do not warrant or allow evacuation from campus, the safest method to protect campus occupants may be to take shelter inside a campus building and await further instructions. The order to shelter in place will be given by the Office of the Vice President and CEO at which time the following procedures will be implemented. 

Employees

• Move indoors or remain there – avoid windows and areas with glass.

• If available, take a radio or television to the room to track emergency status.

• Keep telephone lines free for emergency responders. Do not call 911 for information.

• If hazardous materials are involved,

  • Turn off all ventilation systems and close all inlets from the outside,

  • Select a room(s) which is easy to seal and, if possible, has a water supply and access to restrooms.

  • If you smell gas or vapor, hold a wet cloth loosely over your nose and mouth and breathe through it in as normal a fashion as possible.

Students

• Return to residence hall room - avoid windows and areas with glass.

• If available, take a radio or television to the room to track emergency status.

• Keep telephone lines free for emergency responders. Do not call 911 for information.

• Wait for Community Leader or campus authority to provide further instructions.

• If hazardous materials are involved;

  • Turn off all ventilation systems and close all inlets from the outside,

  • Select a room(s) which is easy to seal and, if possible, has a water supply and access to restrooms.

  • If you smell gas or vapor, hold a wet cloth loosely over your nose and mouth and breath through it in as normal a fashion as possible.

Central Shelter In Place Location

Should an incident occur that requires all campus occupants to shelter in place in a central location, the Incident Command will notify each department head to have all students, faculty, and staff under their area of responsibility or in the building in which they are located to report to the P.E. Facility immediately.

Once all campus occupants have reported to and have been accounted for in the P.E. Facility, further instructions will be provided by the Incident Command Team.

Evacuation Procedures

When to Evacuate

Campus occupants may be ordered to evacuate the campus in the event of a hurricane/adverse weather conditions, fire, refinery explosion, release of toxic or odorous gas, terrorist threat or attack, bomb threat, or any other event that is deemed by the campus leadership to be a clear and present danger to the students, faculty, and staff of Texas A&M University at Galveston.

The order to evacuate the campus will be given by the office of the Vice President and CEO at which time the following procedures will be implemented.

General Evacuation Procedures and Guidelines

Evacuation of the campus will be conducted in a calm and coordinated manner which will be overseen by the Incident Command Team.

Announcements will be communicated through department heads to their personnel and to students via E-2 Campus, Aggnews, voice mail, and the campus close circuit television channel.

The Incident Command Team will notify all subordinates of the decision to evacuate campus.

• Door-to-door announcements will be made in the Residence Halls by residential services staff members.

• Fliers announcing the evacuation will be left on any door unanswered during the door-to-door walk through.

All employees are essential in the Campus Evacuation process and are required to remain at their duty stations until instructed to vacate the campus by their supervisor.

Incident Command Team members shall ensure that all students, faculty and staff have evacuated the campus.

Evacuation Routes

Evacuation from campus should occur along posted evacuation routes.

• North on Harborside Drive to Interstate 45 North.

• If Interstate 45 is closed or inaccessible, evacuation should be South along Harborside Drive to 25th Street.  Take a right on 25th and proceed to Seawall Boulevard. At Seawall, take a right and proceed West to exist the Island at San Luis Pass.

• The ferry should not be used as an evacuation route.

Student Evacuation Procedures

Students may be asked to evacuate the campus at which time the order to evacuate will be disseminated by the Student Affairs Office.

Before departing campus, all students must complete an Evacuation and Emergency Information Sheet on-line.  No student will be permitted to leave campus without having submitted this form.

Off-Campus students are encouraged to complete an Evacuation and Emergency Information Sheet on-line.

Students should notify family members that the campus is being evacuated before departing.

Dorm room preparations prior to evacuation are as follows:

• Unplug all electrical appliances

• Clear all balconies and outside areas of personal belongings,

• Remove and dispose of all perishable items in dorm refrigerator. Items should be thrown in campus dumpsters and not hall trash cans.

Students with vehicles are asked to share a ride with those who do not have vehicles.  If a student rides with fellow students, Student Affairs should be notified of the destination of all vehicle occupants.

If a student cannot arrange for transportation, TAMUG will provide transportation to the main campus in College Station.  Students needing transportation should notify Student Affairs immediately.

• Food and shelter will be provided in College Station for the duration of the evacuation period.

• Transportation will be by campus van or vehicle and will be driven by a campus employee.

Once transportation plans have been finalized, an Evacuation and Emergency Information Sheet has been completed and parents have been notified, the student is free to leave campus.

Employee Evacuation Procedures

Before departing campus, all employees must complete an Evacuation and Emergency Information Sheet on-line.  No employee will be permitted to leave campus without completing and returning this form.

Employees should notify family members that the campus is being evacuated before departing.

Office preparations prior to evacuation are as follows:

• Unplug all electrical appliances.

• Remove and dispose of all perishable items from refrigerator. Items should be thrown in campus dumpsters not  trash cans.

Employees with vehicles are asked to share a ride with those who do not have a vehicle.

Once transportation plans have been finalized, an Evacuation and Emergency Information Sheet has been completed on-line, the employee is free to leave campus.

Campus Preparations

Incident Command Team members shall ensure that all students, faculty and staff have evacuated the campus.

Personnel responsible for ships and boats shall verify that all are secured or relocated as appropriate and report the completion of this task to the Incident Command Center.

Employees and students shall report to the Incident Command Center any special requests for utilities to remain on during the evacuation.  

After buildings have been cleared of all personnel building monitors shall report through the chain of command to the Incident Command Center.

Campus Police shall inspect all accessible areas to ensure that all personnel have evacuated.  All personnel that have not left the buildings will be escorted out by the Police Officers.

Police Officers shall report to the Police Chief following an inspection of each building.  The Police Chief will then notify Incident Command Center.

The Mechanical Maintenance Crew in the Physical Plant staff shall turn off all non-essential utilities within each building after evacuations are complete. 

• Exterior lighting around the swimming pool and field areas will be turned off after evacuation is complete. 

• Exterior mechanical room doors shall be secured.

• The Mechanical Maintenance Supervisor shall report to the Physical Plant Director upon completion of these duties. 

The Grounds Maintenance Crew in the Physical Plant staff shall make a final check of the grounds and remove and secure all non-stationary items requiring security. The Grounds Maintenance Supervisor shall report to Physical Plant Director upon completion of these duties.

The Transportation Department staff shall ensure that all emergency vehicles are fueled, given a service check and that preparations are made to evacuate students to College Station if needed.  All remaining vehicles will be relocated to a safe location.

Return to Campus Information for Students, Faculty and Staff

Announcements will be communicated through E-2 Campus, Aggnews, and the website.

The media will be asked to announce both the cancellation and resumption of classes. 

Radio/Television Stations

KPRC - TV Channel 2 - Houston

KHOU -TV Channel 11 - Houston

KTRK -TV  Channel 13 - Houston

KTRH – Radio 740 AM - Houston

When possible, the TAMUG Information Line will be used to provide additional updates.

(409) 740-5500

Revised May 2009

Emergency Communications - E2 Campus ● Emergency Response Plan