The Lourdes Hospital Flood Save: A Decade Later
Twelve years ago, Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton, NY was protected from a major flood disaster.
Hurricane Irene hit the area on August 28, 2011, saturating the ground with several inches of rain. Only 10 days later, a second storm, Tropical Storm Lee, dropped a foot of additional rain.
Binghamton, NY is located in a floodplain at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango rivers, and downhill of steep, flash-flood prone watersheds.
Overwhelmed by two consecutive storms, the Susquehanna flooded its banks and inundated the surrounding area with record high floodwaters.
However, this story has a happy ending.
The Power Of Flood Mitigation
Years prior, Lourdes Hospital implemented extensive flood mitigation measures to reduce flood risk from future storms. In 2006, after suffering a previous all-time record flood, the hospital was awarded $5.2 million by FEMA for the construction of a concrete floodwall around the hospital, equipped with 10 FloodBreak automatic floodgates.
Although the combination of Irene and Lee resulted in record floodwaters hitting Binghamton, Lourdes Hospital was fully protected. There was no flood damage suffered despite the 500 year flood event, which caused mass damage to nearby properties in the city.
The resounding efficacy of the mitigation project resulted in it being used by FEMA as a FEMA Lourdes Success Story.
Flood Protection That's Permanent
Our passive automatic floodgates still protect Lourdes a decade later. Unlike some traditional forms of flood protection, our gates are designed for long service life. Materials are specific for long-term exposure to outdoor, industrial conditions. this makes them the optimal solution to a permanent flood protection need.
Members of the FloodBreak service team visited the site earlier this past summer as part of the recommended periodic maintenance routine. They inspected the gates and verified that all 10 will operate as designed the next time they are called upon to protect the hospital.
For more information about FloodBreak’s flood saves, click here.
Click here to better understand the nature of passive flood protection and the advantages it has over active measures.
For questions about the Lourdes save or general inquiries, please email info@floodbreak.com or complete the form below.
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