Critical public infrastructure underwater: the flood hazard profile of Florida hospitals

Hospitals play a critical role during disasters where they provide critical medical care to disaster victims and help the community to respond more effectively and recover quicker. However, hospitals face risks from the natural environment, such as flood risks. Amid the increasing flood risks due to climate change, it is essential to examine hospitals’ risk exposure. Motivated by this, this paper aims to answer four specific questions related to hospitals in Florida: (1) Are hospitals located in flood zones? (2) What is the relationship between hospital network size and flood hazard? (3) To what extent does hospital flood hazard vary by hospital attributes? (4) How do hospitals’ flood hazards differ from other public structures’ flood hazards? By leveraging two micro-level datasets, we found that approximately 12% of Florida hospitals are in flood zones, and that hospitals’ flood hazard is not influenced by hospital network size or hospital attributes. We also found that hospitals are one of the most flood-prone public structures in our sample, raising questions about public infrastructure in flood management. We conclude by offering recommendations for improving hospital resilience to future flood disasters.