EF3 tornado in Lincoln, Nebraska – Getty Images
When asked about the kinds of things that keep a data center insurer up at night, Darren Tasker, North America’s head of construction at insurer Allianz, starts his response unexpectedly.
“I would say tornadoes,” he declares. “An EF5 tornado that has good accuracy that hits one of our facilities without a significant spread of risk.”
While it is well-known that data centers have to stare down all manner of threats, including fire, long lead times for key infrastructure, workforce shortages, permitting issues, and even terrorism, the inclusion of tornadoes into this rogue’s gallery of issues might come as a surprise.
But it stands to reason that insurers, which make a profit from correctly pricing risk, are worried about tornadoes – especially the “EF5” kind – it might be time to start wondering whether data center developers have to worry as well.
