Is Your Center Hurricane-Proof?

If Stough built it, chances are it is. Here’s how to prepare for an extreme weather event during and after construction

Due to structural steel framing and other Stough best-quality practices, Spring Hill’s plasma center escaped Milton’s wrath unscathed.

1. With Stough construction, you can withstand a hurricane

Many structures near the plasma center we built in Spring Hill, FL, suffered catastrophic damage from hurricane Milton in early October, 2024. The center came through with barely a scratch.

It wasn’t luck.

Structural steel, correct bolting and updraft exposure combined to prevent damage.

As natural disasters become more frequent and severe with climate change, it is more important than ever to plan for them during design and construction.

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Invest in Stough-quality building materials and practices and you could save thousands or even millions of dollars in a worst-case weather event.

2. Build to withstand extreme weather events

It costs more, but steel is much sturdier than lumber, and less susceptible to fire damage. Our structural steel systems include bolted and welded connections to help ensure Stough-built centers can withstand high winds, wildfires, severe flooding, etc.

Investing in higher-quality materials will not only save you the cost of rebuilding in the event of a severe weather event; you won’t lose the income you would have earned while you are closed for recovery.

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3. Invest in a generator BEFORE you need it

After an extreme weather event takes out power, everyone goes panic-shopping for a generator. If you can’t get one for your plasma center and your frozen plasma thaws, you could lose millions of dollars in product.

In the event of a power outage, the standard plasma center procedure is to fill the walk-in freezer with dry ice in an attempt to maintain the temperature. As it melts, dry ice produces CO2, creating one of the most lethal situations in plasma operations. Employees can be overcome by the CO2 and even die. This alone is a compelling reason not to use dry ice.

Plus, with trees down and everyone needing ice and other emergency supplies, roads are often blocked. Even if you are lucky enough to get dry ice, you have to transport it, which in the aftermath of a hurricane, can be problematic.

Get a generator strong enough to run your freezers (ideally, your entire center) now. If you use it even once, it will pay for itself.

Generators that run on natural gas are better than those that run on electricity; propane is even better.

Even generators that run on natural gas can become inoperable if the city’s pumps that supply natural gas run off the electric system. The best Plan B, although more expensive, is to bury a propane tank on your site. This will ensure a continued source of power no matter what.

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STOUGH’S QUALITY STANDARDS HELP ENSURE THE STRUCTURES WE DESIGN AND BUILD CAN WITHSTAND NATURAL DISASTERS. INVEST A LITTLE MORE UP FRONT FOR PEACE OF MIND THAT YOUR CENTER WILL WEATHER THE STORM.

1 According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Sixth Assessment Report released in 2021, the human-caused rise in greenhouse gases has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. NASA’s satellite missions, including the upcoming Earth System Observatory, provide vital data for monitoring and responding to extreme weather events. More info here: https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/extreme-weather/.

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To streamline delivery and control costs, we take a prototype approach when possible, engage local civil engineering consultants for each project, and establish a working relationship with the local governing authority.