We made it through. The lab and its members all weathered the storm. The floodwaters are starting to recede. Others have not been so lucky.
I went into the lab briefly yesterday to check on the status of our facilities, and I was glad to find only minor, leak-related damage. We had a ceiling tile collapse, spilling forth ethernet cables and plaster near our vacuum line, but they seem to have missed. There was also some water pooling in the roof box where our air compressor lives, but nothing was damaged. Pumps were still running. The freezers were still humming along.
It is a miracle.
The university is closed through Labor Day, and lab access highly discouraged until then as a matter of safety: we do not want to tax an already-overburdened emergency-response system in Houston. It will take some time to get back up and running, but we are counting our blessings.
Once we get the all-clear, our lab will be open to any local scientists who need it—for isotope analyses, for working space, and for comraderie. Drop us a line at yeunglab@rice.edu and we'll make it work. We are #HoustonStrong.
