UT Police Readiness and Response to Hurricane Beryl

Many people across the United States were adversely affected by Hurricane Beryl that hit land on Monday, July 8. Beginning in the early morning hours, over two million people were without power in Houston alone. The city streets were flooded, trees were down hitting homes and vehicles, causing many people to suffer catastrophic damage. Among those millions affected by the storm were many of our own team members at UT Police.  

The uniformed police, public safety officers (PSOs,) as well as civilian employees at UT Police put aside the stress of their own personal hardships to protect and serve the community. About 90 percent of the team had no electricity, lost all their food, and incurred damages to their personal vehicles. Others also had leaks and flooding inside their homes, but at UT Police, we all understand our role as “essential employees.” 

Senior PSO Tayelegn Abebe came to work with his signature smile and stellar work ethic despite the flooding in his home and power outage.  The power was out at University Housing, but Senior PSO Gwendolyn Campbell, PSO Zersis Kavina, and PSO Roy Grays secured the property at the guardhouse as if it was any other day. PSO Lucreita Calixte took it upon herself to assist the personnel at MD Anderson’s Main Campus by helping mop up water during the cleanup efforts. PSO Olubukola Hill and many of the USO team stayed extra hours to assist. These are just a few of our many Uniformed Security Operations team who showed up to serve during the storm and the aftermath. Public Safety Manager David Johnsrud started working at 8p.m. Sunday night in the Special Operations Center and stayed until he was relieved at 11:30a.m. Monday.  

Our police patrol unit started preparations prior to the arrival of Beryl, ensuring that there would be no lapse in community safety and service. Our dedicated police officers left their homes and arrived at headquarters at 8p.m Sunday in anticipation of the storm. Sergeant Alondra Jones, Officer Jimel Kenon, and Officer Imran Admani spent the night on campus, ready for service when needed. Night shift officers did not rush home Sunday night. Instead, they stayed well past their shifts to assist with the influx of calls. Day shift officers braved the storm to arrive on campus by 4:30 a.m. on Monday.  

There were a total of fourteen reports taken, which included damage to properties and one arrest (taken throughout the course of three shifts.) Officers worked diligently to maintain the safety of staff, employees, and property throughout the campuses. They patrolled the area and reported flooded streets, trees and other obstructions that were blocking the roads, and any other areas of concern to note locations and keep the community safe. The officers worked through the storm without hesitation despite the long and strenuous hours it took the storm to pass through. Once the storm passed, evening shift safely maneuvered through the aftermath so their colleagues could go home and get rest. 

At UT Police, we do not take our responsibility lightly. Being an essential employee means that if we can be here, we will be here. Being an essential team member means that we show up for our team and the community. We encourage and uplift one another. We go above and beyond to complete the mission and work united as the embodiment of our values so that our team and the community we serve reap the rewards.