Floods don’t knock politely before entering a hospital.
Hurricanes destroy basements. Tornadoes rip out generators. Wildfires force life-threatening patient evacuations. The fact is, extreme weather is impacting hospitals more frequently.
Hurricanes are rampaging fiercer than ever. Floodwaters are rising more rapidly than ever. Recovery team members at hospitals need to be prepared. Not “sort of” prepared. Actually prepared.
Learn precisely how to design hospital operations that will survive floods and extreme weather events.
Let’s jump in…
Inside this guide:
- Why Hospitals Are More At Risk Than Ever
- The Critical Role Of Moving Water Rescue Planning
- 5x Key Areas To Build Resilience
- How To Train Staff For Severe Weather Events
Why Hospitals Are More At Risk Than Ever
Hospitals are supposed to be the safest place during a disaster.
Here’s the problem… More and more are located in areas of catastrophic flooding. New research reveals that 170 US hospitals are at greatest risk of severe flooding impacting almost 30,000 beds.
That’s not a small problem. That’s a crisis hiding in plain sight.
And it will continue to get worse. Extreme rainfall is expected to increase by 4% for every degree of global warming. “100-year floods” will happen every 10 years.
Bottom line: Hospitals designed for yesterday’s weather aren’t prepared for today’s storms.
The Critical Role Of Moving Water Rescue Planning
When floodwaters hit a hospital, you have very little time to react.
Patients can’t simply exit through the front door. Patients in the ICU are hooked up to ventilators. Newborns are in incubators. Patients can’t be awakened in the middle of surgery.
This is where moving water rescue planning becomes a matter of life and death. Emergency plans must include access to swift water rescue gear and partnerships with rescue teams trained and equipped to operate in fast-moving floodwater. If your plan doesn’t address moving water rescue, your best laid evacuation plans may go awry the second conditions turn dangerous.
Just look at Hurricane Helene in 2024. Unicoi County Hospital in Tennessee was overrun by floodwaters from the Nolichucky River. Hospital staff evacuated patients via ambulance, then boat, before helicopters evacuated everyone. 70 lives were saved, and not a single life was lost.
But that hospital still hasn’t reopened.
Here’s what every hospital should plan for when it comes to moving water rescue:
- Clear evacuation routes that account for rising water
- Partnerships with local swift water rescue teams
- Trained staff who can assist with patient transfers
- Backup transport (boats, helicopters, high-clearance vehicles)
- Communication systems that work when the power is out
Skipping these basics is a mistake hospitals can’t afford to make.
5x Key Areas To Build Resilience
Hospital operations teams often forget resilience begins outside the four walls of health care. Here are the 5x most critical areas of focus.
Protect Critical Infrastructure
Most hospitals keep generators, electrical panels, and medical supplies in the basement.
Big problem.
Flooding starts in the basement. If there’s a power outage, ventilators fail, refrigerated meds melt, and elevators become inoperable. Hospital staff should:
- Move generators to upper floors or rooftops
- Elevate electrical panels above expected flood levels
- Waterproof critical storage areas
- Install backup batteries for life-support equipment
That’s the kind of improvement that is worth every penny when a big storm comes.
Strengthen The Building Envelope
Water finds its way in through every crack, vent, and door.
Hospital structures should be equipped with flood walls, watertight doors, and storm-proof windows at ground level. Some hospitals install temporary flood barriers which can be activated in a matter of hours. Other hospitals use permanent flood doors. Either solution has the same objective in mind – prevent water from entering.
Build A Solid Evacuation Plan
Evacuating a hospital is one of the hardest things you can do.
Patient condition, mode of transportation, roadway circumstances and destination hospital capability must all be considered. A comprehensive plan should include:
- Patient triage by acuity and transport needs
- Pre-arranged agreements with other hospitals
- Multiple transport options (ambulance, boat, helicopter)
- Family communication procedures
The hospitals that do the best job managing evacuations are those that regularly practice them. Tabletop and live drills should occur at least twice annually.
Stockpile Critical Supplies
When the roads are flooded, supply trucks aren’t coming.
Hospitals need 72-96 hours worth of supplies on hand, including:
- Food and bottled water
- Medications and IV fluids
- Fuel for backup generators
- Linens, PPE, and basic medical equipment
It seems simple but many hospitals find themselves unprepared for extended power outages and extended severe weather events.
Plan For Staffing
A hospital is only as strong as the people inside it.
When the storm of the century hits, employees should be able to travel to work – and more importantly – stay at work. The best hospital ops teams plan for:
- On-site sleeping arrangements
- Meals and showers for staff
- Childcare for staff with young kids
- Mental health support during long shifts
Without staffing plans, even the best buildings can fail.
How To Train Staff For Severe Weather Events
Equipment and infrastructure only get you so far.
The bottom line is whether or not your team knows what to do when the water starts coming in. Practice should be realistic, hands-on and conducted frequently. Good severe weather training should include:
- Recognising early warning signs of flooding
- Evacuation roles and responsibilities
- Patient triage in emergency conditions
- Safe interaction with rescue teams
- Communication protocols during power outages
Here’s a number to consider – flooding-related visits to US emergency departments average $3,230 per ED visit with more than $11,000 per hospital admission. Adequate staff training and planning can significantly reduce those numbers.
Hospitals who take the time to train their teams correctly are the hospitals that weather the storm with patients protected and operations functioning. Hospitals who neglect to? You guessed it. Headlines.
Bringing It All Together
Hospitals aren’t just buildings — they’re lifelines.
During floods and major storms, hospital teams must be prepared to act to keep their patients, personnel, and facilities safe. The best news is that hospitals can become resilient. All it takes is a focus on:
- Critical infrastructure protection
- Strong building envelopes
- Solid evacuation plans
- Stockpiled supplies
- Staffing arrangements
- Ongoing training and moving water rescue readiness
…help hospital operations teams drastically minimize devastation during the next catastrophic storm. The upfront investment isn’t insignificant. But the price of inaction? Exponentially greater.
Don’t wait for the floodwater to come to your door. Begin crafting your hospital resilience plan today.
