Published in NC Currents: Storm Damage Risk Reduction – Permanent Canal Closures and Pumps

In this article for NC Currents, John Take—Stantec’s North American Water Business Leader—discusses hurricane storm damage risk reduction, lessons learned from prior major events, and risk factors that coastal communities should consider and address in future builds.

Hurricane storm damage risk reduction is a significant and growing challenge around the world. In the United States, slower moving and wetter tropical storm events are combining with a surging coastal exposure population to cause more damage than ever before. In 2017, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria combined to cause the most expensive year of damage seen in the last 38 hurricane seasons.