Understanding the impact of extreme storms – National Water Research Institute
The Canada Centre for Inland Waters (CCIW) is a one-of-a-kind research facility that is home to many scientific research programs, as well as the Canadian coast guard. Hence, the physical resiliency of the campus is of paramount importance to the continued operations of multiple federal departments in Canada. This facility was constructed on an island made of backfill in the middle of Lake Ontario exposed to open terrain in almost all directions. As such, it can be subjected to extreme storms that bring in strong wind and storm surges. The former can damage building envelopes, roofs, and disrupt exterior ground operations in the facility.
To develop a science-based understanding and evaluation of the impact of climate change and severe weather, Kinetica Risk performed extreme wind simulations to determine the wind speeds and directions at different locations within the campus, as well as pressures in the building envelopes under different climate scenarios. These parameters are used to estimate physical loss in assets caused by direct damage to the envelops and roofing. In addition, the results also provide information on the locations, extent and frequency of operational disruption due to excessive wind speeds within the campus under the said climate scenarios, along with mitigation measures that can be taken to prepare for such events.
