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 ...
