Tower II - Corpus Christi, Texas

A. Hurricanes

When a hurricane warning and evacuation order has been given by the National Weather Service and Civil Defense Authorities, the Building Management Office will notify all tenants of the orderly evacuation and closing of the office tower.

Notification of tenants will be by memorandums, telephone and the posting of notices in public areas, lobbies, elevators and entry areas. All valuable documents, files and furnishings should be moved to inner offices to guard against possible water damage.

Our responsibility to the property owner and to our tenants is to protect the building and its contents in the event of a hurricane or any other severe weather system. By planning in advance the procedures that will be employed, we are more able to prepare for the conditions that we expect the building to experience. Our objective is to prevent any loss of building services during the storm so that the building can re-open in optimum condition immediately after the storm.

As a hurricane approaches, the actions taken and/or recommended by Building Management are determined by the Hurricane Alert Conditions issued by the city of Corpus Christi in conjunction with information issued by the National Hurricane Center through the National Weather Service.

The National Hurricane Center issues the following information:

HURRICANE WATCH - Will be issued when the hurricane is expected to make landfall within 4-8 hours.
HURRICANE WARNING - Will be issued when the hurricane is expected to make landfall within 24 hours.

There are four hurricane alert conditions established by the City of Corpus Christi. Each of these will be listed below with an explanation and procedural guidelines. The procedures are meant only as guidelines because of the unpredictable nature of hurricanes causing a variety of circumstances.

CONDITION 4: Our area is automatically in Hurricane Alert Condition 4 during the hurricane season; June 1st-November 1st. Each tenant should devise his own hurricane preparedness plan. Tenants should plan how to best protect the contents of their office, including records, equipment, and furnishings. This responsibility is solely that of the tenant. Building Maintenance cannot be available to assist you because of the extensive building preparedness activities.
CONDITION 3: When the National Weather Service suggests that landfall will within 36-hours, the City Officials will declare Hurricane Alert Condition 3. Building staff will be busy with efforts to secure the building and the surrounding area. We recommend that you cover your equipment and files with plastic. You should make plans to disconnect all electrical equipment, place all sensitive items as high off the floor as possible in the center of an interior office if possible. Close all window blinds, shut all interior doors and turn off all lights. If you have storage in the basement, we cannot guarantee that it will be safe from water damage.
CONDITION 2: When the course of the hurricane has been established and the National Weather Service suggests that landfall will occur in an area near Corpus Christi within 24 hours, the Mayor will declare Hurricane Alert Condition 2. All tenant offices should be secured at this time. All balcony doors and roof access doors will be locked.
CONDITION 1: When damaging tides or hurricane force winds are imminent, within 12 hours or less, Hurricane Alert Condition 1 will be declared by the Mayor. The building is neither equipped nor staffed to function as an emergency storm shelter. Tenants who choose to remain in the building will do so at their own risk. For the protection of the equipment, all elevators, HVAC and other building systems will be shut down including power to the building.

AFTER THE HURRICANE: The building will be inspected immediately for damage. After the city is declared safe by authorities, normal-building operations will resume as soon as practical. Damage to the building and accessibility will determine the time selected for reopening

B. Tornadoes or Funnel Clouds

In most cases, advance warning in the event of a tornado is not likely. Therefore, if a tornado is sighted approaching the building, notify the Building Management Office and begin moving your people towards the interior corridors and elevator lobbies of the building. The greatest danger will be that of flying glass and objects, therefore, attempt to locate where the maximum numbers of walls are between you and the exterior of the building.

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