The Mental Health and Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County

Devastating – catastrophic – tragic – can’t happen like this – the worst flood in Houston’s history. These are all descriptions of a Tropical Storm named Allison which came over Houston, Harris, and the surrounding counties – and stayed – dumping more than 30 inches of rainfall over a five-day span, much, if not most, between Friday and Saturday June 8th and 9th. Everyone knows Houston is near sea level. Countless millions of dollars have been spent on flood controls – bayou and other improvements to move the rainwater out to sea. Unfortunately, Tropical Storm Allison dumped too much rainwater, too rapidly, in too short a span of time for the water to run off. Instead, it backed up: highways became lakes; the downtown basements, parking garages, and tunnel system – a reservoir; the Medical Center hospitals and medical schools inundated; and thousands upon thousands of Harris County residents were stranded, flooded, and evacuated into, first, Red Cross shelters and then FEMA Centers. Areas that had never before flooded – did.

On Saturday, the 9th, it became clear this wasn’t your usual tropical storm – this was a disaster of huge proportions. The Fonteno Building in Central Houston flooded for the first time in Agency history. Worst fears for this old building became reality: the basement flooding knocked out the electric switch and HL&P power connection. With power down, the batteries failed, taking down the central telephone switch – knocking out the Agency’s entire telephone system – including our emergency telephone response capability for the community. Without power, the backup batteries were drained and the Agency computer system went down. Throughout all locations, the Agency was unable to communicate and interact, either with its components or staff – or with the community. Fortunately, we have over the last several years invested in a substantial number of cell phones for mobile staff and infrastructure, management positions – they saved us.

In addition, the Fonteno HVAC unit was in the basement. It flooded, failed, and was declared a total loss. So on Sunday morning, several of us in Administration, with facilities staff, and our maintenance contractor, surveyed the situation. We had a building flooded with contaminated water, sitting in the dark, with temperatures reaching (estimated) more than 100 degrees. It took until early Monday morning to get the basement pumped out. It took until Friday morning until the electric switch and HL&P equipment could be cleaned, dried, replaced, and safely attempted to reconnect to the power grid. In spite of predictions to the contrary, the power came back on – without exploding or injuring anyone or anything.

Earlier in the week (Monday) we were able to obtain and patch in a temporary, portable generator to turn the telephone switch back on and bring up our telephone network. A portable 150,000 ton skid chiller (A/C compressor – amazing the things you learn) was found, rented, and brought to Fonteno (before all the available units were grabbed up), patched into the A/C ducts, and awaited the power coming back on (also needed the air handler units on the roof to operate for the chiller to function). The computer system sat, awaiting power, until Friday as well. Everything on the floor on the first floor (records, reports, first drawers of filing cabinets, computer, etc.) was destroyed!

Early in the week, it became clear that we would not be able to bring Fonteno back-to-life in a cost-effective way. A decision was made to evacuate the entire building which entailed a rapid process of identifying alternate space, planning a series of lock-stepped moves (vacating around 90,000 square feet of space and some 300 employees), sorting, packing, logistically coordinating the movers at the Fonteno and receiving ends; planning, installing cabling for phone and computers; upgrading equipment, even in temporary space, so the Agency could function. Why? Because the moves were primarily into 7011 Southwest Freeway (fortunately we had this building in an advanced but not completed state of renovation). Most of Fonteno went there. Executive Staff, which was scheduled to remain at Fonteno well into next year, needed a temporary home. Fortunately, the second floor of NPC could accommodate the staff but needed extensive additional phone and computer cabling to support operations (at least the backbone infrastructure was present). In two and a half weeks, this was accomplished.

The Friday night after the flood – with Fonteno down, computers out, staff disrupted – payroll was due. Employees were paid on time thanks to thoughtful alternative procedures rapidly implemented by the Business Office.

Additionally, three other Agency owned buildings flooded: Bristow (Homeless Services), North Loop East (AMH), and Bradfield Employment Center (MR). Bristow flooded 3 to 4 inches, the water rapidly running off. Soooo, our new housekeeping contractor (started June 1st) could move in Sunday and clean. All porous materials were rapidly removed and the kitchen temporarily closed. Bristow was disrupted but not closed – services for the homeless population continued. North Loop East, one of our AMH clinics serving approximately 828 per month, flooded 3 to 4 feet on the first floor. While the A/C remained operational and the electric on, the first floor was substantially destroyed including the telephone switch, the pharmacy, and the records room – hundreds of consumer records were under water – most of those below the 4 foot level have to be destroyed. All thinned records were shredded. Those documents that may be legible will be treated and retained. All porous materials have been removed from the first floor. The building remains closed awaiting restoration.

But, the Northeast consumer services remained operational – having major logistical issues to overcome, but operational. The Agency moved the staff into an area recently vacated by the MRLA Service Coordination consolidation, doubled up space, and started seeing consumers out of the Northwest AMH Clinic. Shuttle vans were run between Northeast and Northwest to transport consumers who showed up at Northeast without transportation. Staff had to reconstruct medical records, in essence starting over for an estimated 400 plus consumers whose records were destroyed.

Bradfield, an MR Vocational site, sustained flooding measured in inches. The building was closed until treated and renovated. The consumers were moved to other vocational components and services maintained.

In addition, seven other facilities were severely to mildly impacted. Our jail-based mental health services were operating in the dark without electricity until the entire jail population – staff and prisoners – was evacuated to an alternate facility on Sunday. Because the phone system was down, we couldn’t locate forensic services operational staff until Monday, and only then did so thanks to cell phones. The staff were wonderful, staying across shifts because regular relief staff couldn’t get in.

Similarly, many of our residential units, MR and MH, turned into islands. Staff stayed with consumers 48-72 hours, rotating coverage and sleeping in shifts to ensure a safe and appropriate environment. Food and water were fine – consumers were OK thanks to our on-site staff who made it happen. One of our AMH residential facilities for consumers with dual disorders had five apartments where the carpet got saturated (removed and soon to be replaced).

In other leased facilities, the Northside Children’s site took on water, which had to be addressed by the landlord. At the facility housing our MR CAPS and DMR unit, the foundation cracked and mud and water oozed through the first floor, substantially destroying all furnishings and equipment. Those units were rapidly moved to the LaConcha facility – doubling up staff and operations out of that site for now.

And last, but by no means least, MHMRA activated its emergency response capability on the Monday after the flood to begin staffing the initial Red Cross shelters starting on Tuesday. We assisted the TDMHMR Disaster Relief Coordinating staff on site in Harris County, first planning and then staffing up the crisis counseling services of the FEMA Centers, which began operating the next Saturday. MHMRA has had around 104 staff, both clinical and support, providing crisis counseling to flood victims in some 8 of the 13 FEMA Centers. Several other TDMHMR components, both MHMR Centers and Facilities, deserve much credit and thanks for sending staff to Harris County to staff up the other 5 FEMA locations. We have worked with TDMHMR in the planning for a major FEMA grant to hire the staff who will take over staffing at the FEMA Centers and undertake the needed outreach efforts throughout the impacted areas, providing crisis counseling, linkage, and support services for an estimated 9 to 12 months. The regular MHMRA staff who have been manning these sites 6 days a week, 10 to 12 hours a day, can then go back to their regular components and consumers. Our staff manning the FEMA Centers have done a wonderful job at these sites. Our staff at the MHMRA components who remained behind have been fabulous in doubling up and covering, providing services our consumers with minimal interruption and – no complaints.

On the Monday after the storm, the crisis management team was meeting all day across the street from Fonteno in our facilities management contractor’s one-story facility (it had electricity, A/C, and phones). At some point early in the afternoon, a cell phone call came from one of our staff at the MAPS unit that the Mayor’s Office needed assistance at one of the Red Cross emergency shelters. Unable to get through on our regular phone system, one of the Mayor’s staff had the cell phone number of our staff and was relaying an emergency request for assistance from the Mayor of Houston. Apparently, a few hours before, the Mayor had been touring one of the shelters when a number of people came up to him indicating that they were displaced and didn’t have their psychiatric medications. The Mayor was asking us to go on site, determine what services were needed, and assist. We rapidly developed plans to send staff, vans, and address triaging individuals to one of our day clinics. As these plans were moving forward, we found out by cell phone that members of our ACT staff had already been at the shelters that morning, checking up on our consumers. They had identified the consumers in distress, gone back to the clinic, obtained medications, and were en route to the shelter. They were already there and the appropriate response underway to diffuse the consumer issues and stabilize the situation. The Mayor just didn’t know the response was already in progress when he called for assistance.

This storm has taxed all of Harris County – so many, many folks, organizations, institutions have been impacted – many far worse than MHMRA. More than 40 of our MHMRA staff were personally flooded, many of their homes more devastated by the storm. Our staff at countless levels responded to the needs of our consumers, the community, and the Agency – often setting aside their own personal needs to respond. We established a voluntary employee emergency relief fund – an effort to help our own, even if it just covered a little bit of what they lost.

There have been so many heroes in so many ways. The public safety net was there – really there for the community – for our consumers. We still have a long road ahead. Space, equipment, phone, computer, records – multiple issues yet to be adequately resolved. Moves are following upon moves as we shift staff into facilities that will be more long term in nature. Thanks doesn’t do justice to the extent of effort, the adjusting to inconvenience and less-than-functional work environments, the disruption to processes and procedures – these will still continue for awhile – the patience and good will shown by all throughout this tragedy was truly special! Thanks to each of our staff for your personal contribution to our Agency response. You are the heroes of MHMRA – you are the public safety net.