University Of Texas At Austin Prepares For Hurricane Harvey

AUSTIN, TX — University of Texas at Austin officials are preparing for the effects of Hurricane Harvey to ensurer the safety of students, employees and visitors, officials said Friday.

School officials also stand ready to re-assess academic calendars if need be, they said. Regular contact with City of Austin officials is key to the school's plans, toward the aim of providing updates throughout the weekend on weather and safety issues via text for urgent matters along with dispatches via email and social media, officials said.

TEXT UPDATES

The university is making weather-related information available as it relates to students, university opeations and the impact on the mass student move-in to residential housing (dubbed "Mooov-In" at the school in allusion to the university's Longhorn mascot) as young people return from summer break. Related texts on these matters will be transmitted via text message, officials said.

Those wishing to receive up-to-the-minute information from school officials can sign up for text updates by texting to the keyword UTMOVE to 888-777. A response message will be sent back immediately. Such text updates are specifically for information this weekend and are in addition to the university’s urgent alert system always in effect, officials noted.

SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES

The university will provide updates over the weekend via the following social media channels.

Safety and weather:

UT Austin Police Facebook

UT Austin Police Twitter

Housing and Food Services:

UT Housing and Food Services Facebook

UT Housing Twitter

General UT accounts:

UT Austin Facebook

UT Austin Twitter

Parking and Transportation Services:

UT Austin Parking Twitter

PARKING

To help the campus community protect their assets, Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) officials have taken the following steps:

1. Opening all garage entrances and exits at 5 p.m. on Friday, with the exception of the Conference Center and Health Center Garages.

• Students are encouraged to park in garages instead of on the street or in open lots.
• Garages will be open at no charge through 10 am on Monday, August 28th. Vehicles that parked in the garages must be out by that time to avoid parking fees.
• It is recommended that vehicles are parked on levels 2 or higher.

2. Recommending during this weather system that campus avoid parking on San Jacinto Boulevard, 24th Street, and 21st Street near Waller Creek as these areas can be affected by flash flooding.

3. Raising and locking west elevators of San Jacinto Garage and the SE elevator at Trinity Garage on a higher floor to prevent cabs entering a flooded area starting at 4:45 pm today.

If the situation changes with Hurricane Harvey and parking, PTS will send out notification if the above action plan is extended, university officials said.

MOOOV-IN

School officials said Mooov-In has accelerated and many students have already checked in to their residence halls, some ahead of schedule. Two-thirds of residents were checked in by Friday night, officials added. The Mooov-In website will continue to be updated with new information for students and their families: http://housing.utexas.edu/future/mooov-in-before-arrive

Students and families planning to visit the campus over the next few days should put their own safety first when making travel decisions, university officials urged. The university will work to accommodate students unable to get to campus in time for class because of the weather, school officials said.

For more information, contact: University Communications or the Office of the President, 512-471-3151.

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