Hurricane Planning

The NOAA Weather Service accurately reports movement of tropical depressions that may threaten the Gulf Coast area. There will not be many people in downtown high rise buildings when a hurricane hits because the communication of early warnings from television and radio broadcasts is so effective. There are a few preventative measures you can take before a major storm enters the Gulf of Mexico.

Employee Communications

Designate a contact telephone number for employees to call during storm watches and warnings. This company contact point can give timely updates to the employees. A designated phone number should also be established where employees can call in to find out when to return to work.

To get information on whether the Kinder Morgan Building is open, dial our 24 hour hotline at 713-420-1000 for the most up to date reports.

Actions Your Company Should Take If a Hurricane is Imminent

If a hurricane makes landfall on a storm track that threatens the Greater Houston area, severe damage to the building could occur as a result of high winds and tornadoes that often accompany the storm. If a hurricane strike is imminent, don’t wait too long to send employees home. Remember, traffic problems are magnified when drivers are under the added stress of an approaching storm. The following steps should be taken before leaving the building:

• Clear desks, tables and other areas by the windows of books, papers, and other items. Secure them inside desk drawers or file cabinets.
• Move expensive or irreplaceable furniture from windows or cover with plastic tarps.
• Back up computers and power them down completely.
• Unplug all electronic equipment. If there are computers or other electronic equipment near the windows, move them to a secure area in the core areas of the building if possible. If not, you may want to cover them with plastic tarps or garbage bags.
• Remove all items from refrigerators. There is a good chance of a power loss during a storm.

Actions Building Personnel Will Take if a Hurricane is Imminent

• All potential flying objects will be moved indoors.
• Auxillary power for emergency lighting, elevators and fire pumps will be made ready.
• Communications for building closures will be planned and organized.

Actions Building Personnel Will Take During a Hurricane

• There will be personnel on site to be able to react quickly to any outages or damage to the building.
• Patrols of the building will be made to detect and report any damage.
• Emergency generators will be operated if required.

Actions Building Personnel Will Take After a Hurricane

• A complete safety and damage inspection will be conducted. Any hazards will be documented and corrected or sealed off as needed.
• Repairs will be made as quickly as possible.
• Constant Communications will be maintained with providers of public utilities until any disrupted services are restored.
• Access to the building will be controlled until normal business is resumed.
• The Kinder Morgan Building hotline will be updated as to the status of the building.
• Your company’s designated contact will be contacted by building personnel to relay any reports of damage to your space.

Actions Your Company Should Take After a Hurricane

• A representative of your company should contact the Travis Place Building hotline at 713-420-1000 to determine if there has been any damage and to check on any building closure.
• Implement off-site operations for employees to conduct critical functions and for other employees to call in for status updates.