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City of Houston asks fans to be prepared for severe weather ahead of CFP national championship game
Houston emergency management officials are prepared to keep fans safe during the tailgate outside of NRG Stadium.
HOUSTON — Houston residents and visitors should prepare for severe weather on Monday.
Staff at the Emergency Operations Center shared parts of their plans to keep fans safe.
According to the City of Houston, a wind advisory will be issued by the National Weather Service from 6 a.m. Monday to 6 p.m. on Tuesday. The cold front is expected to bring scattered storms and wind gusts up to 40 mph.
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The Houston Office of Emergency Management is working with multiple agencies including the National Weather Service, Houston Police Department, and Houston Fire Department, to ensure fans and people commuting to work on Monday are safe.
“We believe we have a good severe weather plan for the event,” Chief George Buenik said.
Buenik works with the Mayor’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security and said they will work with the National Weather Service and CenterPoint Energy to monitor the conditions around NRG Stadium and beyond.
Buenik said one of their concerns is fans who may be tailgating for Monday’s championship game.
“We have a big concern about people tailgating with the little pop-up tents. The big tent we have out there is rated for over 100 miles an hour, that’s going to be safe. But NRG and CFP both have a plan to move people indoors if needed and get them out of harm’s way,” Buenik said.
Tailgating is expected to begin at 11 a.m., and Buenik said they have plans to move fans to shelter if severe weather occurs.
“NRG is a large complex with a lot of different buildings. Part of the planning process is utilizing the existing buildings there and possibly opening the stadium up, maybe early if it’s needed to get people out of harm’s way,” Buenik said.
Houston residents can get weather alerts by visiting alerthouston.org. Fans attending the game can get updates by texting “CFPHouston” to 888777 for College Football Playoff alerts.