The Eye of the Storm

This article examines the planning necessary for recovery when a parking facility sits in the path of a major storm. It begins with a discussion of the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Bureau of Parking's operations in the aftermath of 2012's Hurricane Sandy. The storm flooded DOT headquarters, destroyed volumes of networked meters and equipment, and left many of the city's garages without power. The Bureau of Parking adapted its snow event plan to hurricane preparation and recovery and found ways to successfully adapt its services to manage disruptions during and after the storm, drawing also on preparation lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina. The article also describes the importance of inter-agency communication and highlights the case of the Texas Medical Center (TMC) in Houston, whose garages were subjected to major flooding during 2001's Tropical Storm Allison. In response to that storm, TMC widened bayous to handle more water, installed better drainage systems, moved electrical equipment to higher levels and installed flood-protection doors. Additionally, a flood monitoring and communication system was developed collaboratively with Rice University to facilitate faster, more efficient emergency communication.