Houston 2 Data Center
Unfortunately for those in the Houston area, rain is predicted to continue falling for several days. Tropical Storm Harvey is headed back toward the Gulf, where it may unfortunately gain strength and make landfall again near Houston. Currently, our Houston and Austin data centers are all safe and sound. We have experienced no flooding and no outages at any of our data centers as of this afternoon, and we remain fully staffed at every site. Houston has of course been the hardest hit, and we greatly appreciate the tireless and vigilant work our data center operations and facilities staff have put in over the last few days.
Flood waters have created islands throughout the city of Houston, resulting in limited mobility. However, the roadways outside Houston 2 also remain open for the time being.
Main entrance security gate, Houston 2, Monday 11 am
Staff has been camped out at our Houston data centers over the past couple of days monitoring the storm 24×7 in our Network Operations Center at Houston 2. We appreciate their vigilance, continuously monitoring network and power statuses. More than our data centers’ redundant infrastructure, our staff is what keeps our facilities up and running in times of emergencies. A facility may have the infrastructure, but this means nothing if the right people and the right training for emergency procedures are not in place. Our customers have called and emailed us to show gratitude for their efforts.
Our Austin data centers, Austin 1 and Texas 1, have remained unaffected, as Austin experienced minimal rainfall compared to the Houston area.
We have been providing complimentary Virtual Hands services for remote assistance so that our customers may avoid any unnecessary travel during this time. We also continue to evaluate all possible routes, should anyone need to get to one of our facilities.
Update: August 29, 2:30 PM CST
“Both our Houston data centers continue to be staffed 24×7. We have not experienced any flooding concerns at either site, and both sites have had 100% uptime. Our facilities are stocked with food, water and cots.
Houston 2 is a purpose-built facility designed to withstand category 5 hurricane wind speeds. This site has not lost utility power, and we have not had to transition to our back-up generators. Houston 2 has showers and washing machines for staff and customers staying on site for extended periods.
Houston 1 is in West Houston. It is located inside the Marathon Oil Tower. We have not lost power to our systems, and we have not had to transition to our back-up generator.”
-Edward Henigin, CTO
