Keeping Tampa General Hospital operational through major hurricanes
- Nov 26, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Tampa General Hospital (TGH) – a leading Level I trauma center in flood-prone Tampa Bay – faced severe hurricane storm surge threats to its patients and critical infrastructure. By deploying AquaFence mobile flood barriers, TGH protected its campus from a 7-foot storm surge and remained fully operational, performing life-saving surgeries (including a heart transplant) with zero downtime.
Customer Background & Challenge
Tampa General Hospital’s Critical Role: TGH is a 1,101-bed academic medical center with over 8,000 team members, serving as the region’s only Level I Trauma Center. It provides round-the-clock emergency, ICU, transplant, and specialized care to Western Florida, meaning it cannot evacuate or close even during disasters. “We’re a 100-year-old hospital… We can’t evacuate,” noted Dustin Pasteur, TGH’s VP of Facilities, emphasizing that no other area hospitals could absorb its patients. This makes on-site storm resilience absolutely critical.
Geographic Flood Risk: Located on low-lying Davis Islands in Tampa Bay, TGH is surrounded by water on three sides and highly vulnerable to hurricanes and storm surges. The site lies barely above sea level, putting it in a high-risk flood zone where even a moderate hurricane can send surge waters into the hospital campus. In fact, Hillsborough County emergency planners issue evacuation orders for the area during major storms – but TGH must stay and protect in place.
Infrastructure Vulnerabilities: TGH’s sprawling campus has many ground-level facilities and varying elevations, which historically left key assets at risk. Critical departments – such as intensive care units (ICUs), operating rooms, the Level I trauma center, and emergency power systems – could be devastated by floodwaters if the hospital were inundated. Loss of power or physical damage to these areas would be catastrophic for patient safety. While TGH had built a new Central Energy Plant 33 feet above sea level (with generators and boilers to withstand a Category 5 storm), the hospital still needed to protect its lower elevations and entrances from storm surge. The challenge was clear: how to keep a major hospital dry and fully functional during a hurricane, so that patient care never stops.
Solution – AquaFence Deployment
To address these challenges, TGH partnered with AquaFence to implement a custom mobile flood barrier system around its main campus. AquaFence provided ~1,000 feet of deployable FloodWall barriers, in modular sections ranging from 4 feet up to 9 feet in height (models V1200 through V2700) to accommodate the site’s uneven ground elevations. At its tallest points, the AquaFence stands 9 feet high and encircles the hospital’s most vulnerable perimeter.
This solution was engineered specifically for TGH’s layout. AquaFence’s team performed a detailed assessment of the hospital’s terrain and critical ingress points, then delivered a mix of barrier heights to ensure a consistent protective wall given the elevation changes on campus. Lower-profile sections were used where the ground is higher, and taller 8–9 foot sections guard low spots – creating an unbroken flood shield at the target protection level. The barriers were strategically placed to defend all key areas, including emergency department bays, ICU and operating room entrances, electrical and mechanical rooms, and the trauma center, without impeding hospital operations. Importantly, AquaFence’s system is fully modular and freestanding – it doesn’t require permanent construction. This meant TGH could integrate the barriers into its emergency plan and deploy them only when needed, preserving normal access to the facility day-to-day.
Mobile & Rapid-Response Design: AquaFence FloodWalls are composed of rigid panels and bracing struts that secure to the ground quickly without heavy equipment. One major advantage is speed: an experienced crew can install about 100 feet of AquaFence in 30 minutes. At TGH, teams of hospital facility staff (about 60 people) can assemble the full 1,000-foot barrier within a couple of days ahead of a storm. The design uses the approaching floodwater itself for stabilization – the weight of the water presses down on the barrier’s base foot, creating a seal. Each panel is also anchored and braced to withstand high winds, with the system rated for up to 15 feet of storm surge and 130+ mph winds. The AquaFence units are stored on-site at TGH for immediate access and are fully reusable, allowing the hospital to deploy them for any future threats.
AquaFence FloodWall barriers deployed around Tampa General Hospital’s campus. The modular panels (here shown during a test deployment at night) form a 4- to 9-foot-tall water-impermeable shield around key buildings.
Implementation & Collaboration
Proactive Training & Preparation: Successful deployment of AquaFence at TGH was a collaborative effort between the hospital’s emergency management team and AquaFence experts. In 2019, TGH invested in the AquaFence system and trained an in-house deployment team to assemble the barriers whenever a hurricane approaches. The hospital’s staff practiced installation drills as part of routine emergency preparedness exercises, ensuring familiarity with the process. TGH works closely with local emergency authorities and conducts multi-agency training several times a year to be ready for severe weather. This meant that by the time a real storm threatened, the team could move swiftly and confidently.
On-Site Storage & Rapid Deployment: All AquaFence components are stored at TGH’s campus in a ready state. When forecasts warned of an approaching hurricane, TGH’s incident command center sprang into action. Days before landfall, facility crews began rolling out the AquaFence panels and securing them around the hospital’s perimeter. For example, prior to Hurricane Helene in 2024, TGH completed full assembly of the AquaFence on a Wednesday, well before the storm’s arrival, to protect vulnerable campus areas.
The barrier sections were bolted to pavement and linked together, and additional support straps were attached on the bay-facing side to brace against wind if needed. AquaFence technicians were available to advise, but TGH’s own team carried out the deployment – a testament to the quality of training and the system’s user-friendly design.
Standards Compliance: AquaFence’s flood protection solution met all the stringent requirements for hospital infrastructure. The system is FM Approved (ANSI/FM 2510 certified with a Platinum rating for the V1200, V1800, and V2100 models) – a mark of rigorous testing for safety and reliability. It is also recognized as a FEMA-compliant dry floodproofing system for non-residential buildings, and it adheres to ASCE 24 standards for flood-resistant design of critical facilities. These credentials gave regulators and TGH leadership confidence that the AquaFence would perform as intended to keep the hospital dry. In addition, AquaFence provided TGH with FEMA-compliant emergency response plans and engineering documentation to integrate into the hospital’s hurricane readiness plan. In practice, this meant the AquaFence deployment not only safeguarded TGH but did so in a way that met or exceeded building code requirements for flood protection – a key factor for a hospital of TGH’s importance.
Results & Impact
Hurricane Helene (2024) – Full Operational Continuity: In late September 2024, Hurricane Helene struck the Tampa Bay region, sending an unprecedented storm surge toward Davis Islands. Thanks to extensive preparation, TGH’s AquaFence was fully deployed and ready when Helene’s surge hit. The barrier held back waves up to 7 feet high that would have otherwise inundated the hospital. As a result, TGH’s main campus remained completely dry and sustained no flood damage. The hospital’s primary and backup power systems stayed online throughout the storm (TGH never even had to switch off its main grid power). Most importantly, patient care continued uninterrupted. Despite the hurricane conditions, TGH remained fully operational – even performing 30 surgeries, including a heart transplant, during the storm. This would have been unthinkable in past hurricanes without such flood protection. As TGH’s CEO John Couris noted, the hospital’s infrastructure investments ensured “exceptional care for our patients in a high-quality, safe and uninterrupted environment before, during and after the storm.” All emergency and critical services at TGH functioned normally through Helene’s landfall, and the hospital immediately accepted new patients from harder-hit facilities once the storm passed. In short, there was zero downtime – no evacuations, no closures, and not a single patient needed relocation. This outcome validated TGH’s decision to choose AquaFence, as the system literally kept the hospital open when the region faced its worst storm surge on record.
Hurricane Milton (2024) – Repeat Success: Remarkably, just two weeks later a second major storm, Hurricane Milton, threatened the Tampa area with an even higher forecast surge (up to 15 feet in some areas). TGH again mobilized its AquaFence in advance of Milton’s landfall. Once more, the flood barrier stood strong against the incoming surge and hurricane-force winds.
While many other healthcare facilities in Florida had to evacuate ahead of Milton, Tampa General stayed open and fully functional throughout the event. The AquaFence prevented any storm surge from entering the hospital; in fact, TGH publicly posted that it was “weathering the storm” with power, water and supplies all holding strong during Milton. No surgeries or critical treatments were interrupted, and the hospital’s emergency department continued to operate for the community.
Once Milton passed, TGH had no flood cleanup necessary and immediately resumed normal operations, demonstrating true resilience.
Continuity of Care and Safety: The combined result of these deployments is a powerful proof-of-concept: with AquaFence, a coastal Level I trauma hospital endured direct hurricane impacts with zero loss of care capacity. Doctors at TGH kept working through the hurricanes – including performing urgent procedures like a heart transplant – confident that floodwaters would stay outside. Patients remained safe, never needing transfer or facing power loss. TGH estimated that it avoided days or weeks of downtime and millions of dollars in potential damage by preventing flood intrusion. Just as importantly, the hospital’s ability to remain open saved lives, as TGH could receive emergency patients when other facilities had to shut down. This level of preparedness set a new standard for hospital resiliency in Florida. Observers from nearby cities were so impressed that St. Petersburg officials decided to purchase AquaFence barriers for their own critical facilities after seeing TGH’s “giant wall” in action.
Customer Voice
“Preparing for Hurricane Milton was an incredible effort by the entire team and a true test of our resources, but it ensured we could continue to provide exceptional care for our patients in a high-quality, safe and uninterrupted environment before, during and after the storm,” said John Couris, President and CEO of Tampa General Hospital.
His statement highlights how TGH’s investment in flood protection paid off when it mattered most – enabling the hospital to uphold its lifesaving mission despite back-to-back hurricanes.
Conclusion & Call to Action
Tampa General Hospital’s successful hurricane response showcases how innovative flood barriers can empower hospitals to meet their resilience goals and protect patient care. By deploying AquaFence, TGH transformed its campus into a fortress against storm surge – all while maintaining normal hospital operations. The ability to stay open and safe during extreme weather is a game-changer for healthcare providers in coastal and flood-prone regions.
For hospital executives, facilities directors, and emergency planners, TGH’s experience offers a valuable lesson: proactive floodproofing of critical infrastructure is not only feasible, but it’s a prudent investment in safety and continuity. Solutions like AquaFence allow even “at-risk” hospitals to avoid costly downtime and remain a beacon of care for their communities when disasters strike. In an era of intensifying storms, every day of uptime can translate to lives saved.
Tampa General Hospital’s story is a compelling example of resilience through preparation. Similar institutions facing flood threats are encouraged to explore deployable flood barrier solutions like AquaFence to safeguard their operations – and their patients – no matter what Mother Nature brings.
For more information on AquaFence’s hospital-proven flood protection systems, visit AquaFence.com or book a consultation with our team to discuss a customized solution for your facility.
Sources
Tampa General Hospital Press Release (Sept. 27, 2024) – TGH Stands Ready… Hurricane Helene
Tampa General Hospital Press Release (Sept. 24, 2024) – Deploys Teams and Technologies… Helene
FOX 13 News (Sept. 25, 2024) – TGH protected by AquaFence during Helene
ABC News (Oct. 9, 2024) – Tampa hospital uses AquaFence… record storm surge (Milton)
Morning Brew (Oct. 10, 2024) – How Tampa General withstood two hurricanes
WUSF Public Media (Jan. 20, 2025) – A giant wall saved TGH from Helene…
Chief Healthcare Executive (Oct. 11, 2024) – Hurricane Milton: healthcare facilities…
