The 2017 Harvey Hurricane and Florence in 2018 taught important lessons about protecting data centers from flooding. While this is obviously important, there are other reasons why we put Houston Data Center where we did. We are confident our retail and wholesale solutions are in a strategically safe space at 2626 Spring Cypress Road Spring TX 77388 and here are our reasons:
Well-Managed Risk Factors
Flooding
We are outside the Houston 500 year flood plains. These are low-lying areas typically along rivers and streams with a 0.2 percent chance of a relatively high streamflow over natural or artificial banks in any one year. Houston has experienced three such events during 2014 to 2017.
Houston’s flood-prone plains are well known and defined. They are along waterways and the coastline. We sited our Houston Data Center at an elevation where a flood is statistically improbable, and we have a contingency plan for managing exceptions.
Highways
We are at least one mile away from any major highway thoroughfare. Throughways in urban areas cause large accumulations of water, because water cannot penetrate their surfaces and must run away. Exceptional rainfall such as occurred during Hurricane Harvey soon overcomes and even blocks drains.
This can happen is a few minutes before flood warnings go out. If the rain continues, the rate of debris-laden flooding worsens. As streets dam up the water finds new direction defying topography. However the waters dissipate within a one-mile radius so we are safe.
Furthermore, if there was a major accident resulting in a HAZMAT evacuation of the surrounding proximity to the road, our distance means we are safe from the dangers and can continue to operate the datacenter without danger of evacuation.
Railway Lines
We are more than 1.5 miles from any rail line. Railways are a special case because they have to be as gradient-free as possible. Engineers fill low-lying areas, and set the rails on ballast to reduce the possibility of a short-circuit during heavy rain.
These elevations become levees in extreme weather conditions and rapidly dam rainwater. Eventually the water bursts through the ballast in a deep torrent that can wash vehicles away. We are satisfied the lay of the land at 2626 Spring Cypress Road Spring TX 77388 is such that floods will not reach us.
A further positive of our distance from rail lines is that the vibrations of trains and work on the line won’t impact the structural integrity of our building and systems. Lastly, it has been known for mandatory evacuations of the surrounding areas if there is risk of a rail line overturning. Our positioning means we would not be included within that evacuation zone.
Commercial Flight Paths
We are not under any major commercial flight paths. Hence an air crash close enough to cause damage is extremely unlikely, and we believe our reinforced concrete structure will absorb fragments striking. Moreover, we have the very best automated fire-extinguishing equipment.
U.S. Marshalls established their forward-command-posts in data centers during Hurricane Harvey. We believe we would be one of the safest places to shelter during extreme weather or some other disaster. We would not have people working here if this was not the case.
Hazardous Material Releases
We are also nowhere near oil or gas pipelines, or hazardous material stores or recycling plants. Were a fire or explosion to occur in Spring, Houston, we might feel a tremor but that should be all. Concrete walls and roofs don’t ignite. Moreover, we have advanced cooling systems to prevent our equipment overheating.
We have definitely gone the extra mile to protect our Houston Data Center at 2626 Spring Cypress Road Spring TX 77388 from even highly improbable events. We were able to negotiate favorable building and insurance rates because our physical defenses are so strong.
Tidal Surges and Tsunamis
We are 65 miles inland from the nearest coastline, and at an elevation of thirty-seven meters. Hurricane storm surges seldom go more than ten miles inland on gently-sloping terrain, but what about tsunamis?
We have them covered too. Although the Fukushima surge did ramp up 95.1 feet initially, it only traveled 6 miles inland before it ran out of steam. We can say with pride we have all our disaster bases covered, after consulting high-profile specialists.
Placed For Quality Resource Supply
Fiber Providers
Fiber optic refers to transferring data and information through optical fibers. As a data center, the importance of being able to transfer this information is of paramount. That is why our close proximity to major fiber areas is of such benefit. All the providers that are so close by allows us to add many carriers on net here at TRG.
Substations for Power
A substation is where the electricity from power plants gets converted from high voltage to low voltage, making the electricity ready for business and domestic use.
Our proximity to multiple sub stations is vital to supplying the data center with enough power to run efficiently, whilst also not relying too heavily on one main source. Currently our demand is fulfilled by 2 diverse stations that feed into our property. As we expand, there are plans for this number to increase up to 4 substations.
We Are in the Heart of Greater Houston’s Business Corridor and Loving It
There are, of course many other places in Greater Houston where we could have achieved the same low risk levels. Therefore, we needed to find the best spot in terms of distance from our current and future clients. We needed to be as close as possible to all of them, because distance slightly affects the speed and quality of data. We also wanted to be close enough to key customers so they could visit us if they wished.
We decided to find the best possible compromise between the following business hubs in alphabetic order:
- Grand Parkway Highway
- Houston Downtown
- Houston International Airport
- Interstate 45 Corridor
- Katy / West Houston Energy Corridor
- The Woodlands
Several vector analyses later we had our answer. We found a suitable piece of land in TX 77388 in the Greater Houston Area, appointed an architect, and got down to building the TRG Houston Data Center of which we are justifiably proud. Here are our key achievements.
- 1.5 miles west of the nearest point of Interstate 45 corridor connecting Dallas and Houston, before continuing southeast over the Galveston Causeway to the Gulf of Mexico.
- 2.0 miles south of the closest point of the Grand Parkway project (State Highway 99). When complete, this will be the longest beltway in the U.S., with the outer loop within the Houston / Woodlands / Sugarland metro area.
- 3.5 miles south of the master-planned Woodlands community. This growing hub already hosts a number of notable campuses including Chevron Phillips Chemical, Anadarko Petroleum, and Huntsman Corporation to mention a few.
- 15 miles from Houston International Airport between Interstate 45 and Interstate 69 / U.S. Highway 59, with direct access to the Hardy Toll Road. A burgeoning support industry needs reliable access to collocated data.
- 22 miles from downtown Houston, the heart of Texas and home to 9 Fortune 500 companies. 50 million square feet of office space housing 150,000 employees and numerous education institutions all need secure storage.
- 35 miles from the Katy / West Houston Energy Corridor between Beltway 8 and the Grand Parkway. Many major companies have operations along the corridor, including but not limited to BP America, Citgo, and ConocoPhillips.
Locating our Houston Data Center at Spring TX 77388 Is an Ongoing Success
We are delighted with the wholesale and retail business streaming in, and our ability to deliver exceptionally secure data colocation services. In particular our success when compared to local competitors; Cyrus One Houston, Data Foundry Houston, DataBank Houston, Digital Realty Houston, Element Critical Houston, Equinix Houston, Netrality Houston, and Stream Datacenters.
We believe what we achieved through careful planning and analysis stands out as an example others will follow.
