Flood protection projects,
news & insights

As Hurricane Helene approached Florida’s Gulf Coast in September 2024, Tampa General Hospital deployed its AquaFence flood protection system to help protect the hospital from potentially dangerous storm surge. Located on Davis Islands in Tampa, the hospital relies on deployable flood protection as part of its hurricane preparedness and business continuity strategy. CNN visited Tampa General Hospital ahead of the storm to take a closer look at the AquaFence system and how the

AquaFence is helping The Florida Aquarium strengthen its hurricane preparedness with a new deployable flood protection system designed to protect the waterfront facility, its critical conservation work and the 20,000 animals in its care. The AquaFence system is being donated as part of a collaborative effort with support from Tampa General Hospital and Strategic Property Partners. The project builds on AquaFence’s proven performance at Tampa General Hospital, where the flood

As Hurricane Helene approached Tampa, local media reported from Tampa General Hospital to show how the AquaFence system was being used to protect the hospital from storm surge.

AquaFence is once again drawing attention in Florida, as Allegro Condominiums in Naples prepares for future storms with a new deployable flood protection system. The system gained widespread attention during Hurricane Helene in 2024, when AquaFence helped protect Tampa General Hospital as storm surge impacted the Tampa Bay area. Now, that same approach to flood preparedness is being implemented at Allegro Condominiums in Naples. The new system is designed to provide deployabl

Explore practical storm preparedness steps for commercial buildings, condominiums and multifamily properties, from risk planning to safe recovery.

Following extensive damage from Hurricane Ian, Allegro Condominiums in Naples, Florida, invested in a comprehensive AquaFence system designed to help protect its residents, homes and critical building infrastructure against future storm surge and flooding. Customer Allegro is a 14-story, 76-unit beachfront condominium located on Gulf Shore Boulevard in Naples, Florida. Its coastal location provides residents with direct access to the Gulf, but also leaves the property exposed

A flood barrier should inspire questions—not blind confidence When a facility is considering flood protection, it is tempting to begin with a simple promise: keep the water out. The reality is more demanding. Water creates force. It exploits gaps, weak interfaces and incomplete preparation. Conditions vary from one site to another. And when the barrier is deployable, performance depends not only on the system itself but also on how it is specified, stored, assembled and maint

The forecast is not the plan The weather alert arrives. Rain is intensifying, a coastal surge is expected or a nearby river is rising. At that moment, many organizations discover the difference between knowing a flood is possible and being ready to do something about it. The first hours matter. Not because every storm develops in the same way, but because decisions that look simple on paper become difficult when a facility is busy, staff are managing competing priorities and

A flooded building is visible. A disrupted operation is felt everywhere. The first images after a flood are often dramatic: water in a lobby, a damaged road, debris against a fence. What those images do not show is the operational chain reaction that follows. A hospital loses a route for staff or ambulances. A treatment plant must pause a process. A manufacturer cannot receive materials or ship finished goods. A data-dependent business faces an equipment or access problem tha

The building may be strong. The opening is where the flood gets in. When people picture flood damage, they often imagine water overtopping a riverbank or surging across a parking lot. Facility managers tend to see the problem differently. They see the doors that must stay open for deliveries. The gate that allows emergency access. The loading dock built lower than the surrounding site. The service entrance that seemed harmless until water was moving across the pavement. Flood

A map is a starting point—not a flood strategy For decades, many facility owners have begun the flood conversation with a single question: Are we in a flood zone? It is a sensible question, but it is no longer enough. Flood exposure is being shaped by more than a line on a map. Intense rainfall can overwhelm drainage systems far from a river or coast. Storm surge can arrive alongside wind-driven rain. A road closure can prevent staff from reaching an otherwise protected build

The flood-resilient building is not defined by what it gives up Flood resilience has often been presented to architects as a compromise: raise the building, harden the edge, place a wall around it, and accept that access, appearance and flexibility will change. That approach can be necessary in some locations. But for many commercial, institutional and critical facilities, it leaves an important design question unanswered: How can a building stay open, functional and architec