According to experts, weather events are increasing in severity and frequency and, as result, are causing greater amounts of property damage. Flooding, in particular, has become a greater concern as recent storm activity has demonstrated that areas that were not traditionally prone to such risk are now more vulnerable.
The prevalence and magnitude of these weather events is even changing how people think of flooding. Most of the time, when people consider flood risk, they think of water rising over a brook or riverbank. However, the last three or four years have shown that if there is a large amount of rainfall in a short period of time, it can inundate storm water systems and submerge areas that normally do not experience such conditions. Building owners and property managers must therefore take steps to secure their facilities and bolster their protections before a storm strikes.
Infrastructure’s Role in Flooding
When a large amount of rain falls in a short period of time, it is important to have proper drainage. If this does not happen, areas and places that do not typically flood can become submerged. This known as inundation or pluvial flooding.
Typically, stormwater from rain or snowmelt travels over impervious surfaces like roadways or parking lots and then collects and moves into different bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, bays and oceans. However, over the decades, urban development has increased the amounts of impervious surfaces, causing the risk of flooding due to increased runoff from large rainfall events to grow because the storm water systems were not developed to move large amounts of water in a short period of time. Essentially, urban sprawl has surpassed the original intention and capacity of the local infrastructure to contain heavy rains or a line of storms moving over the same area continually.
Another problem is that as the development of homes and buildings has increased over time, the contour of land has become altered, which has caused changes in how a property reacts to water. As a result, inundation events are occurring more frequently because water is less able to be absorbed into the ground, and instead collects and causes flooding.
Flooding and Inundation Protection Measures
While most business owners buy flood coverage as part of a large business insurance plan, they should also take additional measures to protect their property. A flood emergency response plan is one way in which business owners can prepare for, respond to and recover from a flood. This plan should include an evacuation plan that details employee responsibilities, sheltering-in-place procedures, medical emergency information, emergency response teams, and public emergency services and contractor contact information.
It is also a good idea to have a water damage prevention plan (WDPP) that includes routine site inspections to identify uncontrolled water damage exposures and basic maintenance to make sure drains are clean of debris and can divert water to a catch basin or low point away from the building. The plan can also incorporate technology such as backflow preventers on sewer connections and water-sensing devices to monitor the most vulnerable exposures. In addition, a trained team of water damage responders should map and label all shut off control valves, and maintain an updated list of contractor’s contacts numbers for emergency purposes.
One of the most important steps is to develop a flood emergency response plan (FERP) that includes mechanisms for receiving and responding to flood event warnings. The plan should establish emergency actions for setting up or deploying temporary flood barriers such as flood walls and doors, and moving portable equipment and valuable stock to an area not exposed to flooding. It should also designate who will take necessary actions pre- and post-event, and set up initiation times for each task to assure completion prior to a pending flood event.
For water intrusion from domestic and liquid service systems, building owners should also prepare a WDPP that includes water control valve tags, maps of the location of key water control valves throughout the building, procedures for managers or employees to take when water intrusion is identified, availability of cleanup and restoration supplies, and contact information for a water damage restoration contractor to assure timely response and cleanup of any incurred damage and installation of a water intrusion detection system.
Storm-Hardening Facilities
While many existing homes and buildings may not have been built to withstand storms or water damage, owners can still make them storm-hardened. This means improving the infrastructure to better withstand these kinds of losses. By storm-hardening a building, owners can prevent potential damage from heavy winds and water. While it can involve a nominal upfront cost, the return on investment can be significant. For example, improving the framing inside a building can make a facility stronger and reduce the amount of potential damage during strong winds from a hurricane or tornado
Building owners can also ensure that there is proper drainage and flood protection to reduce the loss of equipment or inventory. It is a good idea to conduct a storm-hardening assessment of the building to provide a starting point of what areas to address and what can be done. Some structural areas to look at include building envelope evaluation, wall types, roof types, windows, doors, exterior drainage and landscaping. It is also prudent to note the location of air handling units, water supply, critical electrical or mechanical equipment, and whether an emergency generator has enough capacity to deliver the necessary power during an outage.
A survey should be conducted of those properties that have exposures to riverine flooding from nearby creeks and rivers or tropical windstorm conditions that can bring damaging storm surge. This survey should identify key electrical and mechanical equipment that, if damaged, could disrupt power to the premises or operations.
Where possible, this exposed equipment should be raised above the FEMA base flood elevation level by a reputable contractor. Additionally, the survey should identify low-lying points of entry in the structure from flooding waters (i.e., windows, doors, vents) and plans should be made to provide either temporary flood barriers at those openings or block and relocate openings where possible. The best defense against an impending flood event from either riverine flooding or storm surge is to prepare a FERP to assure the location is effectively prepared for a flooding event and enable a more rapid restoration and recovery of the property.
Staying up-to-date on local building codes can be especially important when planning for capital improvements to a facility. Hurricane-exposed states like Florida and the Carolinas come to mind when thinking about upgrades to roofs and windows that meet local codes. However, with the rise in convective storm activity, it might be prudent to think about similar protection in high-wind prone areas of the country. Window and roof glass are designed to withstand higher wind loads in hurricane prone areas of the country as well. If the facility is critical to the business or if water penetration presents a severe risk to operations, it may be worth considering materials that are designed better than what is required to meet local codes.
Power supply is also a concern. If a facility is impacted due to utility service interruptions, it can be days or even weeks before power can be reliably restored. Consideration should be given to generators that can keep a facility up and running during a prolonged outage. There are upfront and ongoing costs associated with generators, but businesses can also consider integrating upfront agreements on power generation contracts from suppliers that could be quickly brought online in the event of a power failure. These considerations should be seriously contemplated when creating and annually updating the disaster recovery plan for a facility.
Preventive maintenance plans should also include roof systems and regular inspections and repairs when identified. Appropriate glazing for windows, caulk, gutters/drainage and flashing are cost-effective solutions. In addition, connected devices can be installed to monitor buildings and issue alerts of water intrusion or leaks so building owners can address issues before they become major losses.
By working with experienced insurers, disaster mitigation experts and risk engineers, building owners will be better able to assess facilities and create a customized risk management plan to protect buildings and reduce damages and losses from weather events, including those that cause flooding situations.