A case study of hazard mitigation, which describes the technology and design that should be used to make a storm-proof house.

Written in 2005; 2,785 words; 11 sources; MLA; $ 83.95

This paper explains how and why hazard mitigation is our best defense against the power of tropical storms. The paper also describes and explains the technology and design used for hazard mitigation and that the use of technology and engineering are the best ways to integrate mitigation into buildings.

"On August 24th, 1992, Hurricane Andrew appeared on the horizon, off of Florida's south eastern coastline. Winds of over 170 miles per hour blasted through Florida's peninsula while a seventeen foot storm surge caused severe coastal flooding to many of the major roadways and utilities (Provenzo, 2002). Figure 1 shows the pressure that can be created, per foot, by blowing winds. Florida would bear the brunt of the storm as it moved due west bisecting much of southern Florida, on August 25th, the storm finished movement over the peninsula, and turned north to Louisiana, a low lying area (Provenzo, 2002). The hurricane then would move north, and slowly dissipate as it reached the interior of the United States of America. When the storm was over, many families were in shock to see most of their houses destroyed, and many of the roadways inundated with standing water. The cost of the Hurricane in the United States was $26.5 billion in damage in the United States, of which $1 billion occurred in Louisiana and the rest in south Florida (Provenzo, 2002). The cost in human lives would also be high for the United States, twenty three people would die the day the hurricane first hit land, and thirty one people would die in the days after the hurricane initially made landfall. Eighteen of the 54 direct deaths attributed to Hurricane Andrew occurred during the recovery phase (Cook, 1995). Of those identified, eight were stress-induced heart attacks, three were either people falling in damaged buildings or hit by debris while cleaning up, and two were children who died in fires in damaged homes. This large number is placed into perspective when also confronted with the fact that nationwide, hurricanes annually account for an average of 17 deaths. The vast majority of the damage in Florida was due to the winds. Many of the house designs at the time overlooked the additional costs of adapted the most up to date techniques of home construction, which have a chance to mitigate the threat of a hurricane (Cook,1995). Those that did utilize construction techniques capable of coping with high winds returned to find many of their homes destroyed. Debris that reached over 85 miles an hour crashed into the house, puncturing the sides and allowing high pressures of wind to enter destroying the main structure by applying pressure from the inside out. Many people believed there seemed to be no way to cope with the power of the hurricane after hurricane Andrew. The aftermath of Hurricane Andrew jumpstarted the industry of engineering a home to survive the high powered winds, devastating storm surge, and heavy weighted debris that can accompany a hurricane. Many of the newest home designs would be tested, not in a computer, or in a wind tunnel, but in the middle of four hurricanes. One of the worst hurricane seasons ever recorded would occur twelve years after Hurricane Andrew, in September of 2004. Mitigation represents our best defense against the power of tropical storms, and the use of technology and engineering are the best ways to integrate mitigation into buildings."

Tags: human, lives, andrew, falling, debris, damaged, florida, winds, house, home, construction

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