47.5 MB - The Whole Building Design Guide

m Potable water supply systems may become contaminatedif public water distribution lines or treatment facilities aredamaged, or if wellheads are submerged.m During heavy rains, sewers back up from infiltration andinflow of stormwater into the sewer lines and manholes,cross connections between storm and sanitary sewers, andflooded wastewater treatment plants. Sewer backup into acritical facility poses a major health hazard. Even when thewater has receded, exposed building components, finishmaterials, and contents are contaminated, and usually mustbe removed because adequate cleaning is difficult, if notimpossible.2.2.2.5 Contents DamageCritical facilities may contain high-value contents that can be damagedand become unrecoverable when subjected to flooding. Forthe purpose of this discussion, the term “contents” includes itemssuch as furniture, appliances, computers, laboratory equipmentand materials, records, and specialized machinery. The followingtypes of contents are often considered a total loss.Furniture: In long-duration flooding, porous woods become saturatedand swollen, and joints may separate. Furniture withcoverings or pads generally cannot be restored. Metal furniture isdifficult to thoroughly dry and clean, is subject to corrosion, andtypically is discarded. Some wood furniture may be recoverableafter brief inundation.Computers: Flood-damaged computers and peripheral equipmentcannot be restored after inundation, although special recoveryprocedures may be able to recover information on hard drives.Communications equipment: Even though some communicationsequipment may be able to be restored with appropriatecleaning, the loss of functionality would seriously impair theability of the facility to provide critical services immediately aftera flood. Equipment with printed circuit boards generally cannotbe restored.2-52 MAKING CRITICAL FACILITIES SAFE FROM Flooding