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ijustlovemath | 5 days ago

Helene survivor here. What's wild to me is that, regardless of the small scale of this facility, it's only a few hundred meters from a 1% flood zone: https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search

The address I found for the facility is 9101 Windmill Park Lane Hudson, TX 77064

This seems ill advised given recent events like Hurricane Harvey

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jccooper|5 days ago

Industrial buildings are typically built at dock height. Even if they don't do any grading, that would put the building well above any plausible flooding in that area.

ijustlovemath|5 days ago

My point is that we really don't know what "plausible" is anymore with these storms. That much is clear in the data. It seems silly to be so close to a flood zone with your very expensive DUV/EUV machines. There are probably other places they could have placed this facility.

hinkley|5 days ago

It also turns out that for insurance purposes you are allowed to use infill to get the corner of a property that's below the high water mark above it. At least in some states.

Some of the calculus is not about if it will flood it's about if you'll lose your investment if it floods. If an underwriter is willing to cover it, you might go for it anyway.

Dig1t|5 days ago

They will build to a much higher standard than normal US residential construction, as they do with most commercial buildings. Many people do not understand the vast difference between residential construction quality and the quality that mega corps get. I personally watched Apple build their new campus in Austin (I have daily progress pictures of the construction site, I work there), everything is solid concrete. These buildings can withstand any type of hurricane.

Flooding is also something which can be mitigated: build foundations to be taller, work with the topography to avoid the path of water, and build drainage solutions. You should see the drainage field that Apple built for their campus in Austin, it's absolutely massive and can divert an incredible amount of water.

Aurornis|5 days ago

> Many people do not understand the vast difference between residential construction quality and the quality that mega corps get.

It’s not limited to mega corps. Commercial construction is built to a higher standard. Some times you can buy commercial grade hardware and materials for your house if you want.

Larger buildings are also more robust at the foundation because it needs to be so much stronger. That thick concrete is necessary, not a luxury.

boznz|5 days ago

When it floods, they can hold their hands up and say "well we tried".. then get back to business as usual in China

PlatoIsADisease|5 days ago

Ask any AI, they say Apple has the best marketing of any company in history.

All this tracks. Anyone else getting bombarded with WSJ youtube videos about Apple manufacturing?

f33d5173|5 days ago

I don't know what the topography of houston is like, but here in toronto, a few hundred meters would move you from the bottom of a deep river valley to the top of it. I would imagine they made sure they could get insurance before building and wouldn't have picked any place with a significant risk.

bz_bz_bz|5 days ago

The topography of Houston is that everywhere is a few hundred meters from a flood zone. You are exactly right; the area did not even come closer to flooding during Harvey and is a good 30ft higher than the flood zone OP is referencing.

lysace|5 days ago

That's a good sign it's not a serious long-term effort. Onshoring cosplay?

hinkley|5 days ago

The American flag hung on a wall they didn't even bother to paint is a good sign it's not a serious long-term effort.

Steve Jobs would have fired someone over that obvious broken window situation, and he'd have been (mostly) right to do so.