HOUSTON — For Memorial Hermann and Life Flight, weather is critical, and being prepared for extreme weather is paramount.
It’s something Tom Flanagan knows very well after his 36 years with Memorial Hermann.
“Because we have a commitment to provide healthcare to the community and that commitment is not just when the sun is shining and everything is great, it’s also during tough times,” he said. “Hospitals go through a lot of preparation in advance of a storm.”
There is a lot of preparation for the patients as well as the faculty.
“We have to prepare for the worst,” he said.
That’s why Memorial Hermann partnered with the National Weather Service to complete its storm-readiness certification.
“It was really an opportunity to bring a set of outside eyes -- the experts from the National Weather Service -- to take a look at what we do, in preparation for inclement weather,” he said.
Part of their readiness is an in-house weather reporting station.
“It’s located right inside our dispatch here and it gives us the current weather right here at Memorial Hermann in the Texas Medical Center the AWOS is on the roof,” he said. “We are able to measure the winds that are coming in across the helipad. The winds can be challenging.”
It’s a challenge they're prepared for.