Swift Water Training for Operation and Rescue Missions (STORM) Ranch Houston, Tx

Flooding is the number one weather-related cause of death in Texas. As Texas’ population grows and becomes more urbanized and as flood frequency increases due to climate and land use factors, swift water rescues will become more common. To address this growing risk, Harris Fort Bend Emergency Services District #100 has contracted with Calibre Engineering and their S2O Whitewater Division (Calibre-S2O) to design and build the STORM Ranch facility in Houston.

Located on a 27-acre site in Houston, the $65 million, 25,000-square-foot facility will feature a large swift-water channel, 2.2-acre dive, powerboat, flatwater training pond, and an urban flood rescue simulator to allow rescue personnel to train in flooded streets and buildings. In the urban flood rescue simulator, massive pumps will move a high volume of water into a mock village including mock streets and buildings, simulating a flood event in controlled, true urban environment.

The Swift Water Training Facility will provide the potential for a multitude of training scenarios, including immersed vehicle, boat, and high-ropes rescues. The project’s “Main Street” will feature a two-story residential building, a sunken residential building with pitched roof, a high ropes tower, and a mock two-story care facility with a flat roof that connects to the high ropes tower. It includes realistic streetscape conditions with such features as narrowed street intersections, utility poles, a rocky gorge area, and a low-head dam simulating varying water levels for high performance, scenario-based training.

 The hydraulic system includes a top pond, a bottom pond, which functions as the sump for the system when the water is turned off, and three separate training channels. The three training channels include the swiftwater training channel, the Urban Flood Rescue Channel and the natural swiftwater rescue channel.