August 1, 2025 - The lessons learned after a major weather event are invaluable. In 2024, Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit Florida in disastrous ways. The biggest issues hospitals faced in the respective areas post-storm was not storm damage or loss of power — which hospitals plan extensively for — but the water supply.
“It is obviously a big deal when there is a loss of water,” said Sean Bain, director of facilities management for Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Largo. “When Hurricanes Helene and Milton hit back-to-back last year, the communities around us and their hospitals faced major challenges as the water supply was compromised. We were lucky here in Largo to be spared.”
Spared, but Bain was aware that updates needed to be made to prepare for future storms.
“We took lessons learned from my preceptor, Marc McNeil, who was at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Cape Coral for Hurricane Ian,” Bain said. “Along with Pinellas County Emergency Management, we started to work on a proactive plan for water storage at our legacy building here in Largo.”
The water storage project consists of a new 2100-gallon tank that is in line with Encompass Health Largo's current water supply system. Now, the backup water supply will service the building directly through existing plumbing. The hospital also installed a water connection that allows for water tanker trucks to service the building directly. This solution mirrors the emergency water backups designed for Encompass Health's new construction hospitals.
“Before this new system, we would fill containers and take them to the units to use for washing, drinking and using the toilets,” Bain said. “We would pump water into barrels and buckets, load them on carts or dollies and deliver to the other side of the building. This is a major upgrade for our patients and hospital staff.”
The water system upgrade is just one of several facilities upgrades Encompass Health Largo is pursuing in the coming years.
“These are investments in our patients and the team members that serve our patients every day,” Bain said. “It's important and necessary to ensure that when patients are in our care, we are prepared for whatever extreme weather event may happen.”
The water storage project was completed in July.
Encompass Health Largo opened to patients in 1989 — making it one of Encompass Health's long-standing hospitals. The hospital holds The Joint Commission Disease-Specific Care Certifications in Stroke, Brain Injury, Heart Failure and Hip Fracture Rehabilitation.