Hurricane adaptation during climate change: the Tampa General Hospital and AquaFence® case

Research methodology The case was based entirely on secondary sources. NOAA (2025) is a governmental agency, and its data and images are in the public domain, including content that was used to create Figures 2, 4 and 5. The case required no permissions, and the authors made no changes to names, places or dates. Case overview/synopsis Hurricane Helene was a Category 4 Hurricane when it passed by Tampa Bay (Tampa, Florida, USA). The hurricane brought a historic storm surge to the region of over 7-feet, resulting in widespread flooding and destruction. One organization that weathered the storm was Tampa General Hospital, the only Level-1 trauma center in the region. Under the direction of Vice President of facilities and operations – Dustin Pasteur – Tampa General deployed tangible, human and intangible resources to enhance adaptive capacity to hurricanes. The first line of defense against hurricanes was the patented AquaFence®, an impermeable, temporary barrier (i.e. panels) that could withstand up to 15-feet storm surges above sea level and 140 mile per hour (mph) winds. Yet, climate change was contributing to increasingly intense hurricanes in the region; it was only a matter of time before another major hurricane would challenge the resolve of Tampa General. On October 8, 2024, – two short weeks after Helene – Hurricane Milton was a Category 5 storm headed directly for Tampa Bay and Tampa General. It begged the question, if Milton was a direct-hit to Tampa General as a Category 5, could the hospital remain operational? The case challenges students to consider which resources and capabilities can be further leveraged to enhance hurricane adaptation at Tampa General beyond its present-day thresholds. Complexity academic level The case was designed to integrate the topics of climate change and hurricane adaptation into a Strategic Management (Capstone) course. The course was a requirement in the core undergraduate business curriculum and required senior standing. The case would also be appropriate for other undergraduate management courses where resources and capabilities (i.e. the internally managed environment) are topics of interest, such as Principles of Management. The case has been classroom tested, which was used formatively to update the Teaching Plan and confirm discussion questions were clear. The case is appropriate to teach in-seat or online with only minor modifications. Online modifications are provided in the Teaching Plan.