The Choluteca Bridge in Honduras survived Hurricane Mitch in 1998 but became useless when the storm's flooding moved the river. The bridge was built to withstand past risks, not adapt to new ones. Supply chains need flexibility for change, not just strength against yesterday's problems.
The Choluteca Bridge is a bridge in Honduras, a country vulnerable to hurricanes, and they decided to invest big in building an indestructible bridge. Engineers designed it to survive the most extreme weather events. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch, the most powerful hurricane to ever hit Honduras, directly impacted the bridge. The bridge survived. But here's the twist. After 4 days of rain and over 6 feet of flooding, the hurricane moved the river. The river no longer flowed under the bridge. The structure was intact, but it no longer served its purpose. It was disconnected from reality. It was a scenario no one had anticipated. This is a story of a powerful metaphor of what happens when we build supply chains to withstand yesterday's risks instead of designing them to adapt to tomorrow's realities.
