In 2024, there were 24 weather events in the Unites States that each incurred over one billion dollars in losses. These events included severe storms, tropical cyclones and wildfires. A 1,000-year rain event in Kentucky resulted in $17 million of
damage to drinking water infrastructure alone in 2022, leaving some residents to wait a year for water service to return to their homes.
Hurricane Helene is the latest example of abnormally strong weather damaging the pumps, motors and servers that operate critical industries. Outside of Asheville, North Carolina, one of the United States’ largest manufacturing facility of intravenous fluid and dialysis was inundated by flood water. The damage halted production, hurting the company’s bottom line and creating a nationwide healthcare crisis as IV fluid shortages were immediately felt by hospitals and patients.
As storms, wildfires and hurricanes increasingly uproot the infrastructure communities depend on, pumping, piping and electronic infrastructure design must adapt accordingly.
The Case for Floodproofing
Floodproofing and weatherproofing critical infrastructure requires a multifaceted approach. To be truly waterproof, every aspect of a pump station or server room must be comprehensively watertight. For example, the walls and ceilings may be floodproofed, but if the design specifies a run-of-the-mill utility door, the equipment will not be protected from flooding and storm damage.
Floodproof doors, maintenance hole covers and tanks close the gap, sealing a facility’s motors, pumps and servers from flood waters that can render equipment inoperable and shut down production. Floodproofing benefits facilities by ensuring continuity of service and production, shorter disruption periods, less damage to equipment, prevention of environmental spills, lower insurance premiums and security against bad actors.
Floodproofing is a mindset that government and private organizations must adopt to be resilient against a changing climate. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) determined that building codes for disaster prevention across the U.S. are already preventing $1.6 billion of damage annually, projecting a national annual savings of $3.2 billion by 2040.
Coastal Wastewater Plant Prepared for Flooding
The City of Powell River, located along British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast, began planning the new $76 million Powell River wastewater treatment plant in 2011 to consolidate the flow of the three existing wastewater plants.
Considering the new plant’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean and the harsh conditions of its anaerobic digesters and bioreactors, the city’s engineer specified six 316 stainless steel pressure-tight technical doors. The doors can withstand 23 feet of water pressure and facilitate access to periodic cleaning and maintenance while negating confined space protocol.
The timing was just right. In November 2021, the same year the city’s wastewater plant received its technical doors, British Columbia experienced record rainfall, triggering a historic flood event. Some communities received 11 inches (27 centimeters) of rain in two days’ time. Roads were destroyed, homes were flooded and sewer overflows were abundant throughout Metro Vancouver. The eastern British Columbia town of Merrit’s wastewater plant was destroyed.
The flood challenged the construction of the Powell River wastewater plant, but the construction crew prevailed, completing the plant in June 2023.
Not If, But When
As the world gets warmer, it will likely continue to experience extreme flooding and impacts on cities not historically associated with floods. While the damage costs can be staggering, they can be mitigated by designing for floods in advance. Weatherproofing pump stations, server rooms and piping infrastructure must be a bigger consideration for industries and public works projects that want to be resilient against this trend that shows no signs of slowing down. Weatherproofing critical infrastructure is not just preparation—it is protection that pays off in stability, savings and security.
