Gulf Coast resilience depends on addressing preventable vulnerabilities in aging buildings, power systems, and drainage, with envelope upgrades, backup power testing, and flood pathway improvements key to off-season preparedness.
Key Takeaways
- Aging infrastructure drives risk
- Roofs and cladding fail first
- Urban flooding creates costly downtime
- Backup power needs realistic testing
Overview
Recent seasons show a clear truth for the Gulf Coast: storms don’t need to be catastrophic to cause major disruption. From rapid intensification to lingering impacts and worsening urban flooding, risk comes from weak links in aging buildings, power grids, and drainage systems that can be identified and strengthened.
As we close out the 2025 season, I’m reminded how quickly conditions can shift in the Gulf. Even though this year’s impacts here were lighter than in the Caribbean, the season still delivered important lessons: Hurricane Melissa’s rapid intensification, the spring tornado outbreaks across the central U.S., and ongoing recovery challenges from Beryl (2024) all point to the same theme—systems fail where they’re already weak. And the Gulf Coast has a lot of interconnected systems.
In 2024, Beryl showed us that a Category 1 landfall can still cascade into a billion-dollar infrastructure disruption. Extended power outages in extreme heat created compounding risks for hospitals, commercial buildings, and residential communities. Even a year later, I’m still seeing clients deal with the downstream consequences of those outages: equipment damage, water intrusion, and long-term operational strain.
What We’re Seeing Across the Gulf Coast
Even mild-to-moderate storms can trigger cascading failures.
I often remind clients that the storm’s category isn’t the risk driver—the limitations of your systems are. Beryl reminded us that wind + aging distribution infrastructure + heat = a dangerous combination.
Urban flooding is worsening.
Heavy rainfall continues to overwhelm dated drainage systems. Even storms that don’t cause structural wind damage still create costly downtime when water finds its way into elevator pits, mechanical rooms, and lower levels.
Infrastructure aging remains a core issue.
In post-storm assessments, I’m seeing the same pattern: older buildings and equipment, particularly rooftop units and poorly anchored systems, underperform in wind events.
Historic storms still frame the playbook.
Harvey (2017), Katrina (2005), and Wilma (2005) are still our benchmarks for understanding where Gulf systems fail and how long recovery can take. Those lessons remain relevant and instructive.
My Technical Advice for Building Owners
- Stop preparing for the previous storm. The risk landscape changes year-to-year. Hurricane Melissa’s rapid intensification is a reminder we need to account for storms that strengthen faster than models expect.
- Wind and envelope failures remain preventable. Cladding systems, rooftop equipment, and older construction are still the most common points of failure.
- Backup power needs scenario-based testing. It’s not enough to know generators run—you need to know they run long and under heat stress.
- Flood pathways matter as much as wind resistance. If water can reach critical systems, wind resistance won’t save you.
What To Do Now (Off-Season Checklist)
- Conduct an envelope and equipment assessment (focus: rooftop units, cladding, anchorage).
- Test backup power under realistic load and conditions.
- Review flood pathways, sump capacity, and mechanical-room elevations.
- Update the rapid response plan—include contingency for power outages, heat events, and multi-day assessments.
A storm doesn’t need to be catastrophic to create long-term disruption. Strengthening your facility now is the surest way to avoid repeating Beryl’s lessons.
