Milton storm surge could be too much for Tampa General’s ‘AquaFence’
TAMPA — As a vote of confidence in its flood barrier, a video sent out by Tampa General Hospital during Hurricane Helene was hard to top.
On one side, Dustin Pasteur, vice president of Facilities and Construction, can be seen inspecting a 10-foot high section of the “AquaFence.” On the other, floodwaters from Hillsborough Bay lapped against the barrier. The surge from the storm reached seven feet.
But two weeks on, the hospital’s flood defenses will almost certainly face a tougher test. The barrier can protect against storm surge of up to 15 feet. That equals the high-end estimates for storm surge from Hurricane Milton, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Tampa General sits on the northern tip of Davis Islands, one of the city’s lowest-lying neighborhoods and one that is particularly vulnerable to flooding during storms. As the region’s only Level I trauma center, it is expected to remain operational throughout the storm and its aftermath.
“While AquaFence has proven effective in the past, it is just the first line of defense and one of many mitigation efforts we’ve implemented this week to safely continue care for our patients,” Jennifer Crabtree, chief of staff at Tampa General, said in an email.
