![]() ![]() In fact, waylaid Passengers described the demeanor of Southwest Employees as being downright “cheerful” as they passed out snacks, soda, and water from the holds of grounded planes. Southwest Airlines prepares to relaunch operations at Houston Hobby.Īs the rescue plan was being ironed out, Southwest Employees at Hobby did all they could to assuage fears and provide stranded Customers with simple comforts. To attempt any kind of rescue flight, Southwest would need to reach out to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to authorize a special pick-up. Hobby’s runways were technically closed and its control tower abandoned. Soon, all the roads leading to and from the airport would likely be closed and the runways submerged, forcing Employees and Customers to remain at Hobby until midweek. Unfortunately, Hobby was running out of options-and time. Let’s figure out what we need to do to get people to safety.’” “First and foremost: Is everybody safe? What do we need to do to make everybody safe? And then it’s ‘Okay, let’s assess what’s happened. “I’ve seen this many, many, many times when we get into a crisis or disaster situation,” says Senior Vice President & Chief Communications Officer Linda Rutherford. “While the already-reduced flight schedule was running well, we got so much rain in a short period of time that the runoff could not handle it,” says Senior Director Network Operations Control Steve West.“Once we couldn’t operate safely, that’s when we had to shut the operation down.”Īs expected, People at the Headquarters Emergency Command Center in Dallas were intensely focused on devising a rescue plan. On Saturday, the streaking storm dumped torrential rains on Hobby, stranding approximately 500 Southwest Customers and Employees, as well as 15 Southwest planes, at the airport. Nevertheless, Harvey’s stutter-step course and its extraordinary speed managed to catch even skilled weather trackers by surprise. In the case of Hurricane Harvey, the Southwest Weather Disruption Task Force had been carefully tracking the storm for some time and chose to proactively cancel weekend flights and evacuate as many Employees, Customers, and planes from Houston’s Hobby Airport as possible. The cycle culminates with phase four, which seeks to bring operations back to normal as quickly and efficiently as the circumstances allow. Should a storm make landfall, Southwest executes its plan, modifying it as needed. Phase two focuses on preparing all of the appropriate procedures and checklists needed to ensure all Southwest Employees understand their responsibilities. In terms of hurricane activity, the process is broken up into various phases.ĭuring phase one, a small group in Network Operations Control, including an Emergency Director, monitors the storm and relays real-time data to other members of the Company, including the Southwest Weather Disruption Task Force. These general playbooks are used to swiftly react to an array of different crises, from natural disasters to unexpected health emergencies such as COVID-19. “It is our responsibility to have a good plan in place.”ĭeveloping comprehensive preparedness plans not only protects Customers and Employees during times of danger, it reinforces the Company’s hard-earned reputation for being one of the most-trustworthy organizations operating today. , ” says Senior Director Preparedness and Risk Management Karie Lardon. ![]() “Being able to plan in good times for things that are going to happen in bad times is something we take very seriously and take great pride in. With Houston’s Hobby Airport cradled in a low-lying area of the city near Sims Bayou, the risk of operational disruptions began to rise dramatically as Friday transitioned into Saturday. Trees were uprooted, big rigs teetered in the wind, and in some cases, winds peeled brick facades clean off the sides of once-sturdy buildings. Records indicate that, in some areas, the storm dumped nine inches of rain in 90 minutes, all of which was whipped into blinding fury by 130-mph winds. The storm, which would become the wettest tropical cyclone ever to strike the contiguous United States, seemed poised to swamp the city of Houston. It temporarily receded back over water and then surged forward the following day across Southeast Texas and beyond. Whether it’s a minor headache or a crisis: Prove that you care.Ĭase in point: Hurricane Harvey, which made its U.S.
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