VERTEX performed a climate vulnerability assessment (CVA) of a large industrial building on the east cost of the United States. In general, CVAs assist in exploring the natural risks associated with the surrounding environment of a property. The purpose of this CVA was to identify the potential for natural hazards, assess the property’s vulnerability and risks to those identified hazards, evaluate resiliency strategies, and quantify potential actions to implement resiliency strategies.
VERTEX utilized publicly available data sources to assess natural risks such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U/S. Climate Resilience Toolkit, FEMA’s National Risk Index Program, the Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaption (CMRA) Portal, local GIS data/maps, and others.
Natural Risks evaluated included: Flooding, Extreme Cold, Extreme Heat, Extreme Weather, Geological, and Wildfires.
Relatively moderate or higher risks identified at this property included Riverine Flooding, Ice Storms, Winter Storm Events, Hail, Lightning and Tornados, each with a FEMA risk score higher than 14. For each of the listed identified risk factors, VERTEX identified both operational maintenance and capital expenditure resiliency strategies. As an example, one operational maintenance resiliency strategy for tornadoes was to create a plan to secure exterior equipment, outdoor furniture, landscaping; one recommended capital expenditure was to consider installation of safe room/ tornado shelter following requirements of applicable building codes.
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