The likelihood that a tornado will strike a building is a matter of probability. Tornado damage to buildings is predictable. Administrators of schools and other public buildings should have a risk analysis performed to determine the likelihood that a tornado will occur and the potential severity of the event.
A frequent query we ran across in our research was “Is your school protected from a tornado?”.
Tornadoes cause heavy loss of life and property damage throughout much of the United States. Most schools and other public buildings include areas that offer some protection from this danger, and building administrators should know the locations of these areas.
Also, what happened to the school after the tornado hit?
We should dig a little deeper. the tornado hit after school hours and passed just to the north of the site. Damage to the school building was both severe and extensive (Figure 3- 15). As discussed in the Lessons Learned section in this case study, the remaining structure was demolished and the school was rebuilt.
Can a tornado destroy a masonry building?
Not only can a sufficiently strong (EF-3 or higher) tornado destroy a masonry construction, even weaker tornadoes can rip off the roof and break in doors and windows. You can’t really make those out of masonry!
Another question we ran across in our research was “Can a tornado tear you apart?”.
Here is what our research found. but it doesn’t take such rare, finger-of-God twisters to tear a structure apart. Tornadoes in the EF-2 and EF-3 range packing 111- to 165-mile-per-hour winds can destroy single-family homes, according to experts from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).
Hotels strive to make guests feel comfortable, safe and even pampered, but even the solid walls of a well-built hotel can succumb to damage in a violent tornado. Much of the damage of a storm comes from flying debris, so seeking a safe haven away from hotel windows should be your primary goal.
When powerful tornadoes strike, like they did all across the South last week, they can wreak utter havoc in mere moments. We break down how the vigorous winds and bizarre pressure gradients of a tornado tear a house apart, second by second.
What is the likelihood that a tornado will strike a building?
Introduction Introduction The likelihood that a tornado will strike a building is a matter of probability. Tornado damage to buildings is predictable. Administrators of schools and other public buildings should have a risk analysis performed to determine the likelihood that a tornado will occur and the potential severity of the event.
These winds can tear up mobile homes and rooftops and cause exterior damage to houses. An EF 2 tornado’s winds range from 111 to 135 mph. Winds of this consistency uproot mobile homes, tear roofs completely off houses and cause foundation damage to homes.
The way a tornado attacks a home from one instant to the next depends upon variables such as the twister’s internal wind speeds, size, path and pace along the ground. A residential building’s orientation to a tornado and design particulars also greatly influence the outcome. (In short, no two tornadoes or homes are ever exactly alike.).
I learned without a roof, an ordinary home becomes a house of cards in the face of a tornado. Though tornadoes spin in a cyclical motion, the fact that they’re so big—with a typical footprint measuring 500 feet wide—means that a house is effectively hammered by straight-line winds.
How do tornadoes cause damage and destruction?
Some tornadoes, depending on their size, cause catastrophic damage and major loss of lives. A large tornado moves at a high speed, levels everything in its path, throws vehicles on the road and sends debris flying at an incredibly high speed through the air. The wind caused by a tornado is its primary source of damage and destruction.
Thunderstorms most likely to give birth to Tornadoes are called supercells. Tornado winds are the fastest winds on Earth. In 1928, a tornado in Kansas plucked the feathers right off some chickens. In 1931 a tornado in Mississippi lifted an 83 ton train and tossed it 80 feet from the track.
How much wind does it take to tear a house apart?
But it doesn’t take such rare, finger-of-God twisters to tear a structure apart. Tornadoes in the EF-2 and EF-3 range packing 111- to 165-mile-per-hour winds can destroy single-family homes, according to experts from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).