Case Studies
Protecting the Most Vulnerable: Hospital Floodwall Retrofit in the Southern Tier
Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Hospital built a floodwall to prevent repeated flooding of the facility.
Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Hospital is a 197-bed community hospital providing emergency and surgery services, cancer treatment, and outpatient care to the Southern Tier region of the state. The hospital is located on the northern bank of the Susquehanna River within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-designated 100-year floodplain.1,2 As a consequence of its location, the facility has become increasingly vulnerable to flooding from heavy precipitation and tropical storms.
Highlights
- Investing in the climate resilience of core community infrastructure not only saves money, but also allows buildings to deliver critical services in times of need.
Adaptation Needs and Planning
During an extreme rainfall event in June 2006, rising floodwaters overtopped the earthen berm separating Our Lady of Lourdes from the Susquehanna River and covered the ground floor of the hospital with 16 to 20 inches of floodwater contaminated with raw sewage and other harmful pollutants.3 The flood caused $20 million in damages—including to critical building services such as the power plant, backup generators, fuel tanks, and water supply—and forced the evacuation of all 150 patients.
Photo by FEMA.4
Before the flood, the hospital had spent three years and $70 million on modernization efforts,4 and therefore finding a new location was not feasible, so hospital administration and engineers worked with state and federal agencies including FEMA, the New York State Office of Emergency Management, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to develop a plan for adaptation and hazard mitigation.1
FEMA funded mitigation measures with Hazard Mitigation Assistance funding. Engineers agreed on stringent guidelines for the design and construction of the floodwall after investigating possible alternatives including earthen levee systems and interior flood removal systems.4 The final plan included a 1365-foot long concrete T-wall at the 500-year floodplain elevation1,2 surrounding the facility on the east, west, and south sides of the property. The wall is 11 feet high at its highest point. Should floodwaters ever breach the wall, stop logs act as a backup measure at entrances on the ground floor of the hospital. The project also included 11 automatic floodgates that staff can operate electronically and manually, closure structures, interior drainage and pumping stations, relocation of essential utilities, and the development of an operations and maintenance plan for the new system.4
Adaptations In Action
In September 2011, only a few months after completion of the project, Tropical Storm Lee brought heavy precipitation to the Southern Tier region and overwhelmed the Susquehanna River, which Hurricane Irene had already saturated just 10 days before. The floodwaters exceeded the previous record seen during the 2006 flood. The hospital was able to remain fully operational for the duration of the flood, even as the storm damaged over 2000 buildings in Binghamton. Serving as a safe haven during the crisis, Our Lady of Lourdes potentially saved hundreds of lives and millions of dollars. The case of Our Lady of Lourdes shows the importance of adaptation and hazard mitigation for healthcare facilities in the face of climate change.2,5,6
References
1. Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2022). State mitigation planning key topics bulletin: Risk assessment. https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_state-mitigation-planning-key-topics-bulletin-risk-assessment_2022.pdf
2. William H. Lane Incorporated. (n.d.). Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Hospital flood repairs. Retrieved October 3, 2022, from http://www.whlane.com/our-lady-of-lourdes-memorial-hospital—flood-repairs.html
3. Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2011). Floodwall protected Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital during Tropical Storm Lee. https://www.hsdl.org/c/abstract/?docid=787748
4. Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2012). Advanced mitigation planning allows hospital to stay dry during tropical storm. http://floodbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/FEMA_FloodMitigationBestPractice_Lourdes-Hospital_Detail-copy.pdf
5. Griffiths Engineering and Architecture, PLLC. (n.d.). Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital flood wall. Retrieved October 3, 2022, from http://www.griffithsengineering.com/Lourdes.html
6. NAI how-to guide for flood warning and response case study: Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital’s flood mitigation and flood response plan. (2018). https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/asfpm-library/FSC/NAI/OurLadyCaseStudy_NAI_Flood_Warning_2018.pdf