Tropical Storm Allison: The Houston Flood Of June 9th, 2001

Abstract

On Tuesday, June 5, 2001, the Southeast Texas region was placed on alert by the Federal Emergency management Association (FEMA) of Southeast Texas and the National Weather Service to prepare for heavy rains and potential flooding as a result of Tropical Storm Allison. During the afternoon of June 6, 2001, Topical Storm Allison reached land, resulting in approximately twenty inches of rain in the greater Houston area. For the 24 hour time span ending Saturday, June 9 at 3:00AM, approximately 17 inches of rain fell on the Texas Medical Center. On the night of June 9th, the rain created flooding. While floodwaters rose during the night at Memorial Hermann Hospital (MHH) and Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital (MHCH) (picture 1), patient care continued until at approximately 3:00AM when all electrical systems were submerged in water and the power to all buildings stopped. This internal disaster created an unusual situation for a Level One Trauma Center that is accustomed to dealing with disasters of an external nature. With extensive flooding around the Texas Medical Center, it was impossible for physicians and staff to make it to the Hospital via ground transport until approximately 9 AM Saturday morning. The patients in the Hospital became the focus of concern. Doctors, nurses and other clinical and nonclinical staff that were there that night focused on the needs of patients, while administrators and engineers rallied to determine the extent of the damage and estimate the time until power could be restored. Figure 1 Picture 1. Partial view of the Texas Medical Center. Memorial Hermann Hospital (left lower corner)