{"id":14077,"date":"2018-12-12T11:00:52","date_gmt":"2018-12-12T19:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2018\/12\/12\/news-7844\/"},"modified":"2018-12-12T11:00:52","modified_gmt":"2018-12-12T19:00:52","slug":"news-7844","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/2018\/12\/12\/news-7844\/","title":{"rendered":"Last House Standing- Record Breaking Storms Warrant Reexamining Business Continuity and Backup Power Plans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Credit to Author: Vincenzo Salmeri| Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2018 17:25:00 +0000<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the wake of Hurricane Michael in October, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/10\/15\/us\/mexico-beach-house-hurricane-trnd\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">single house was left standing<\/a> tall on its pillars, \u00a0completely unscathed, amid what was otherwise rubble on Mexico Beach, Florida. It stands as a lesson in emergency preparedness for anyone responsible for business continuity for a commercial or industrial building. As storms around the globe are increasingly becoming more severe, businesses need to dust off their plans and reassess everything from protection of critical infrastructure to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schneider-electric.com\/en\/work\/solutions\/system\/s4\/power-and-grid-systems-industrial-ups-cooling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">backup power<\/a> plans.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_53388\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-53388\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/hurricane-michael-mexico-beach-house-survived-300x207.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"242\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/hurricane-michael-mexico-beach-house-survived-300x207.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/hurricane-michael-mexico-beach-house-survived.png 462w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">(AccuWeather\/ Jonathan Petramala)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><strong>Going above and beyond for disaster preparedness<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The home\u2019s owners, Dr. Lebron Lackey, a radiologist from Cleveland, Tenn., and his uncle, Russell King, an attorney from Chattanooga, went above and beyond the norm to ensure their house could withstand the worst.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery speck of that house from below the sand to the top of the roof, we studied from the concept of making it hurricane-proof,\u201d Dr. Lackey says in this <a href=\"https:\/\/weather.com\/news\/news\/2018-10-16-mexico-beach-home-survives-hurricane-michael\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Weather.com video<\/a>. Among its features:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>One-foot thick walls of concrete and rebar specified to withstand winds of 250 mph<\/li>\n<li>40-foot pilings driven deep into the ground<\/li>\n<li>Steel cables holding the roof in place, and a sealed soffit so air can\u2019t get under the edge<\/li>\n<li>Windows rated to withstand a 4-pound projectile at 140 mph<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Such features put the cost of the house at 15% to 20% more than one conforming to conventional codes, but Dr. Lackey deemed it worth it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe may have gone above and beyond what would have been expected of conventional construction and conventional code requirements, but it didn\u2019t go above and beyond our comfort level,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/weather.com\/news\/news\/2018-10-16-mexico-beach-home-survives-hurricane-michael\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">says in this Weather Channel interview video<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Extreme weather warrants detailed business continuity planning<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cComfort level\u201d is a good way to put it. Those responsible for the well-being of commercial and industrial buildings must assess the level of risk they\u2019re comfortable with in the face of extreme weather events that we are seeing more and more of. The issue warrants a risk assessment analysis with the business to determine which resources they can afford to be without for a time \u2013 and which they can\u2019t. Depending on your risk tolerance, you may need to go well beyond the established norms for data and power protection , just as Dr. Lackey did.<\/p>\n<p>Data Cave, a colocation and disaster recovery provider, certainly went the extra mile for a data center it built in Columbus, Indiana that opened in 2010. Built to withstand an EF5 tornado, its 43,000 square foot roof \u201cfeatures eight inches of concrete reinforced with a framework of half-inch rebar, which in turn is covered with a rubber matting and a layer of gravel,\u201d according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.datacenterknowledge.com\/archives\/2011\/12\/01\/data-cave-protected-by-4-5-million-pound-roof\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DataCenter Knowledge<\/a>. The roof weighs 4.5 million pounds, or as much as 1,258 average midsize cars. But given the company is in the colocation and disaster recovery business, going to such lengths likely made good business sense.<\/p>\n<p>One resource that may prove helpful in making such decisions is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhc.noaa.gov\/surge\/slosh.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sea,\u00a0Lake and\u00a0Overland\u00a0Surges from\u00a0Hurricanes<\/a> (SLOSH) model, a computerized numerical model developed by the National Weather Service (NWS) to estimate storm surge heights. It takes into account atmospheric pressure, size, forward speed, and track data of hurricanes to create a model that predicts storm surge as applied to a specific location.<\/p>\n<p>Such a model can help you determine various scenarios, including the worst-case, and plan for whichever makes the most sense given your tolerance for risk.<\/p>\n<p>After a near-miss from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, officials in Boston used the SLOSH model to come up with a plan for protecting buildings and back-up power resources at Logan Airport from high waters \u2013 a significant concern given Logan is surrounded by water on three sides.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.massport.com\/media\/1149\/massport-floodproofing-design-guide-revised-april-2015.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The plan<\/a> defines the design flood elevation (DFE) for various buildings, which is the maximum level of water that a building has been designed to resist. In any building, important utilities, life safety systems and other critical equipment must be located above the DFE. The plan also included installation of temporary flood barriers, watertight doors and waterproof fencing to protect critical assets, as reported in <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/power-management-metering-monitoring-power-quality\/2018\/06\/11\/planning-reliability-commercial-industrial-buildings-hurricanes-rising-seas\/\">this previous post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Backup Power is crucial to business continuity\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Understanding the DFE of a building is important when deciding where to place important backup power equipment such as generators and uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs). They need to be high enough to be out of any danger of flooding, given they will be your first line of defense in keeping critical systems up and running in the event of a power outage. It\u2019s the same concept that prompted Dr. Lackey to build his house on 40-foot pilings.<\/p>\n<p>Other tips to ensuring your building can weather a storm include\u00a0testing generators under load to ensure they will function as expected when needed. Such tests are required by law in some cases. In the U.S., for example, hospitals are required to follow National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes that require emergency power supply (EPS) systems be tested at least 12 times a year, every 20 to 40 days for a minimum of 30 minutes, as detailed in this <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/power-management-metering-monitoring-power-quality\/2017\/10\/04\/business-continuity-healthcare-facilities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">previous post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As many organizations have learned the hard way, it\u2019s also important to have a good fuel supply on hand \u2013 60 to 72 hours\u2019 worth is a good rule of thumb. The fuel should be tested periodically to ensure it\u2019s not contaminated, such as by water or algae. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.datacenterjournal.com\/5029\/\">According to Exxon:<\/a> \u201cIf you keep it clean, cool and dry, diesel fuel can be stored 6 months to 1 year without significant quality degradation. Storage for longer periods can be accomplished through use of periodic filtrations and addition of fuel stabilizers and biocides.\u201d You can <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.eecnet.com\/eecnetcom\/bid\/68307\/Dirty-Generator-Fuel-You-May-Lose-Your-Data-Center-Backup-Power\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hire a company to \u201cpolish\u201d<\/a> the fuel in your tank for you.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll also need a plan for restocking the supply should it run out before power is restored. Restocking was a significant issue in the wake of Hurricane Sandy due to road closures, as <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/datacenter\/data-center-architecture\/data-center-planning\/2013\/09\/26\/looking-back-lessons-hurricane-sandy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this post details<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Business continuity planning resources\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Not everyone will be able to afford the kind of extreme measures that Dr. Lackey and his uncle took in building their Mexico Beach house. For them, it was worth it to ensure a certain \u201ccomfort level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Businesses need to similarly assess what risk level they\u2019re comfortable with and plan accordingly. Facility managers should have input in that conversation and educate the business on what kind of protection is possible. To learn more, visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schneider-electric.com\/en\/work\/campaign\/industrial-business-continuity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Industrial Business Continuity web site<\/a>, which is packed with info on how to keep your business up and running in the event of a power outage.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/power-management-metering-monitoring-power-quality\/2018\/12\/12\/last-house-standing-storms-business-continuity-backup-power\/\">Last House Standing- Record Breaking Storms Warrant Reexamining Business Continuity and Backup Power Plans<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\">Schneider Electric Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/power-management-metering-monitoring-power-quality\/2018\/12\/12\/last-house-standing-storms-business-continuity-backup-power\/\" target=\"bwo\" >http:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/feed\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Credit to Author: Vincenzo Salmeri| Date: Wed, 12 Dec 2018 17:25:00 +0000<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the wake of Hurricane Michael in October, a single house was left standing tall on its pillars, \u00a0completely unscathed, amid what was otherwise rubble on Mexico Beach, Florida. It&#8230;  <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/power-management-metering-monitoring-power-quality\/2018\/12\/12\/last-house-standing-storms-business-continuity-backup-power\/\" title=\"ReadLast House Standing- Record Breaking Storms Warrant Reexamining Business Continuity and Backup Power Plans\">Read more &#187;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\/power-management-metering-monitoring-power-quality\/2018\/12\/12\/last-house-standing-storms-business-continuity-backup-power\/\">Last House Standing- Record Breaking Storms Warrant Reexamining Business Continuity and Backup Power Plans<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.schneider-electric.com\">Schneider Electric Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[12389,12388],"tags":[13546,13176,16483,20417,16779,13548,14816,18507],"class_list":["post-14077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-scadaics","category-schneider","tag-backup-power","tag-critical-power","tag-disaster-preparedness-plan","tag-hurricane-michael","tag-industrial-business-continuity","tag-industrial-power","tag-industrial-ups","tag-power-distribution-and-management"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14077"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14077\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.palada.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}