Labs in Texas Batten Down the Hatches

As Hurricane Harvey approaches land, researchers wait to see if their preparations will protect their experiments.

Written byShawna Williams and Bob Grant

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NASAUpdate (August 25): Hurricane Harvey is now rated a Category 4 storm.

With Hurricane Harvey now upgraded to a Category 3 hurricane and set to make landfall late today (August 25) or early tomorrow, researchers in its path have prepared their facilities and are waiting to see if their experiments, equipment, and samples can survive the storm.

Ensuring animals are cared for is a top concern, Elda Sánchez of Texas A&M-Kingsville tells The Scientist. Sánchez co-directs the National Natural Toxins Research Center, where researchers planned for flooding and power outages that could endanger samples stored in freezers and refrigerators, she says. Instruments have been moved from floors to tabletops, animals have been relocated to higher shelves, and refrigerators and freezers have been hooked up to a backup generator.

The center houses more than 450 venomous snakes, plus ...

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Meet the Author

Shawna Williams
Shawna was an editor at The Scientist from 2017 through 2022. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Colorado College and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Previously, she worked as a freelance editor and writer, and in the communications offices of several academic research institutions. As news director, Shawna assigned and edited news, opinion, and in-depth feature articles for the website on all aspects of the life sciences. She is based in central Washington State, and is a member of the Northwest Science Writers Association and the National Association of Science Writers.
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Bob Grant
From 2017 to 2022, Bob Grant was Editor in Chief of The Scientist, where he started in 2007 as a Staff Writer. Before joining the team, he worked as a reporter at Audubon and earned a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University. In his previous life, he pursued a career in science, getting a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from Montana State University and a master’s degree in marine biology from the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Bob edited Reading Frames and other sections of the magazine.
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