The increasing number and intensity of hurricanes and storms in the United States is not only cause for general safety concern but is top-of-mind for builders, contractors and facility owners who have witnessed the damage that may be incurred to commercial structures. Stanford University researchers recently attributed a $75 billion price tag specifically to the flood damage incurred in the U.S. over the past three decades, caused by intensifying rainfall driven by climate change. Another report by reinsurance company Munich Re determined that in 2020 the world’s six most expensive disasters occurred in the U.S., the worst of which was Hurricane Laura.
Commercial facilities are in fact vulnerable to serious storms and inclement weather. First Street Foundation, the non-profit research and technology group, asserts that more than 14 million properties across the Unites States are susceptible to flood damage. Luckily building material innovations have resulted in options that, when applied properly, can assist in protecting commercial facilities from the severe weather events bound to grow in frequency. Closed cell spray polyurethane foam (SPF) is one such material. When applied in walls, ceilings, floors and on the roof, closed cell SPF protects the structure from serious, costly damage.