On Tuesday, February 17, at approximately noon, students, faculty, and staff were told to evacuate the Katy campus. The Egalitarian spoke with Houston Police on the scene and confirmed that the sudden evacuation was due to a gas leak.

Campus administrators and local officers instructed everyone to immediately leave the campus and wait outside in the parking lot. An emergency vehicle arrived minutes after the mandatory evacuation. One HCC faculty member who was told to wait outside said he was unaware of why everyone needed to evacuate the campus so quickly, but assumed it was serious since it wasn’t a preplanned drill.

The incident occurred on the same day as the Lunch with the President event featuring HCC Northwest College President Dr. Zachary Hodges. The event allowed students to take a photo with the President and enjoy free food inspired by Mardi Gras. The incident also occurred during Rec Sport’s Fitness Day event, which featured a ping pong tournament and free pizza. No injuries were reported.