Disaster Proof your Building!
By:CocoAppleStore
Almost two years ago, Hurricane Katrina ripped through the Gulf Coast and inflicted one of the most devastating flood damages in the history of the United States. Residents and business owners alike are still recovering from the damage it brought. One of the many lessons I got from this and other disasters is the importance of facility design and how it can help buildings and their occupants survive natural calamities. I asked one facility manager of a hospital on how they coped up with the situation and managed to withstand the hurricane and remain open and functional while the most of New Orleans descended into deluge and anarchy? The manager simply said that their organizations’ owners and designers had placed their facilities on higher ground rather than within the bowl of New Orleans because they think that some day the city will suffer flooding when levees broke because of a super hurricane. Looks like the owners were right. Sometimes, thinking pessimistically can be instructive and helps owners and managers design buildings that can withstand any situation and put occupants in the best position to survive.