I posted two pictures in Thread Central last week showing build damage, actually more like product damage, from Hurricane Helene. I’ll repost them in the comments here.
While my heart breaks for the people involved in natural disasters I’m also fascinated by the way storms damage buildings. Please share building-related comments about prepping, damage, and surviving natural phenomena.
Donna Sink
Oct 9, 24 8:01 am
Both of these pics (same photographer on both) show Hurricane Helene’s flood waters forcing material goods *out* of the interior of stores in North Carolina. It’s an indexical sign of force. Awesome.
Donna Sink
Oct 9, 24 8:03 am
And this photo I found on Threads of someone in Florida today. This looks like a not-realistic idea but…the guy says the stakes go 10’ into the ground and are connected with concrete below-grade so, maybe?
midlander
Oct 9, 24 8:30 am
if things are bad enough to need them, i imagine they aren't going to help against the flooding and airborne debris. and hopefully he lined them up with the rafters...
gwharton
Oct 9, 24 12:39 pm
As Donna's photos show, the biggest damage caused by hurricanes is from flooding, though when the winds get to Cat 5 (over 150 mph), wind damage becomes a huge issue too. Winds over 150 mph can pick up cars and trucks and throw them around, let alone blowing away poorly secured structures.
The areas in Florida which suffered the most damage from Hurricane Helene were areas where the storm surge washed everything out. Cedar Key, FL was hit by a 15+ foot storm surge rolling over the entire island. All human habitation there is essentially gone now. And then there's the flooding in NC from torrential rains.
Hurrican Milton, heading for Florida now, is estimated to hit with an 18+ foot storm surge at the eye center, wherever that makes landfall. At the moment, it looks like Tampa is in that zone, though it's been shifting south over the past couple of days. It might actually hit Miami instead. Too soon to tell.
OddArchitect
Oct 9, 24 12:44 pm
Milton is now a cat 5 with 180 mph winds. Yikes!
gwharton
Oct 9, 24 12:46 pm
I once had a structural engineering professor who said, "You can design a building to resist any force of any size - hurricanes, earthquakes, even nuclear blasts - but it's not going to have any windows or doors."
OddArchitect
Oct 9, 24 12:47 pm
Yup. This is scary stuff. I know that there are people trapped in Florida who can't escape because they'd have to go through the hurricane and the hurricane is moving towards them.
Wood Guy
Oct 9, 24 12:54 pm
I have a family member--technically my ex-cousin-in-law, but one of my favorite people on that side of my family--in Clearwater. She's a traveling nurse on rotation there and either has to stay or has decided to stay to help with what it likely to be an awful aftermath. If she survives. I don't know her living accommodations but whatever they are, I'm still worried.
bowling_ball
Oct 9, 24 1:23 pm
The Governor(?) has called for evacuation, and has asked those who won't leave to write their names and a phone number of a family member on their bodies, so future responders can more easily identify their remains. They are assuming that anybody who stays is not surviving. What a horrific thing, all around
OddArchitect
Oct 9, 24 2:01 pm
It was FL attorney general. It seems like it was a comment regarding those who refuse to leave. Like the people who chose to not leave their beachfront homes died from the storm surge.
I recently did a code analysis for a proposed dental school in the Ft Lauderdale area - the ultimate wind speed stipulated for the design of building lateral-force-resisting-systems was 180 mph (based on 3-second gust wind speeds). I saw reports the other day that Helene was reaching 180 mph sustained wind speeds and 200 mph gusts! If that's accurate then this hurricane is stronger than what even the newest high rise buildings are designed to resist. Very scary stuff.
Kowski
Oct 9, 24 5:23 pm
Sorry - Milton not Helene
gwharton
Oct 9, 24 5:28 pm
Milton is back down to a Cat 3 storm, with winds at 130 to 140 mph. It may pick up force again, but it looks like it's dying down before making landfall.
OddArchitect
Oct 9, 24 5:35 pm
That's great! Still nasty but not as bad as it could of been!
Donna Sink
Oct 9, 24 8:54 pm
Oh man Kowski that is *scary* to think about designing for gusts then the sustained wind being even higher. Yikes. Glad to hear from gwharton that it's easing down a bit.
Donna Sink
Oct 9, 24 8:56 pm
I'd much prefer that *this* Milton was bearing down on all those folks near the coast.
OddArchitect
Oct 10, 24 10:20 am
One of my favorite professors, now passed, was named Milton. They man was very kind and wouldn't hurt anyone intentionally. Hearing the hurricane share his name confuses me greatly.
Donna Sink
Oct 10, 24 6:19 pm
Hurricane humor.
sameolddoctor
Oct 10, 24 6:45 pm
"Well, that's the last straw..."
Donna Sink
Oct 9, 24 10:39 pm
Seen on Threads, not verified: hundreds of birds (the blue dots) are stuck in Milton’s eye. They can’t fly out. (insert crying face)
chris-chitect
Oct 12, 24 6:35 pm
This was just up today, although it's unfortunate that the building cost is more than double other new homes in the area
I posted two pictures in Thread Central last week showing build damage, actually more like product damage, from Hurricane Helene. I’ll repost them in the comments here.
While my heart breaks for the people involved in natural disasters I’m also fascinated by the way storms damage buildings. Please share building-related comments about prepping, damage, and surviving natural phenomena.
Both of these pics (same photographer on both) show Hurricane Helene’s flood waters forcing material goods *out* of the interior of stores in North Carolina. It’s an indexical sign of force. Awesome.
And this photo I found on Threads of someone in Florida today. This looks like a not-realistic idea but…the guy says the stakes go 10’ into the ground and are connected with concrete below-grade so, maybe?
if things are bad enough to need them, i imagine they aren't going to help against the flooding and airborne debris. and hopefully he lined them up with the rafters...
As Donna's photos show, the biggest damage caused by hurricanes is from flooding, though when the winds get to Cat 5 (over 150 mph), wind damage becomes a huge issue too. Winds over 150 mph can pick up cars and trucks and throw them around, let alone blowing away poorly secured structures.
The areas in Florida which suffered the most damage from Hurricane Helene were areas where the storm surge washed everything out. Cedar Key, FL was hit by a 15+ foot storm surge rolling over the entire island. All human habitation there is essentially gone now. And then there's the flooding in NC from torrential rains.
Hurrican Milton, heading for Florida now, is estimated to hit with an 18+ foot storm surge at the eye center, wherever that makes landfall. At the moment, it looks like Tampa is in that zone, though it's been shifting south over the past couple of days. It might actually hit Miami instead. Too soon to tell.
Milton is now a cat 5 with 180 mph winds. Yikes!
I once had a structural engineering professor who said, "You can design a building to resist any force of any size - hurricanes, earthquakes, even nuclear blasts - but it's not going to have any windows or doors."
Yup. This is scary stuff. I know that there are people trapped in Florida who can't escape because they'd have to go through the hurricane and the hurricane is moving towards them.
I have a family member--technically my ex-cousin-in-law, but one of my favorite people on that side of my family--in Clearwater. She's a traveling nurse on rotation there and either has to stay or has decided to stay to help with what it likely to be an awful aftermath. If she survives. I don't know her living accommodations but whatever they are, I'm still worried.
The Governor(?) has called for evacuation, and has asked those who won't leave to write their names and a phone number of a family member on their bodies, so future responders can more easily identify their remains. They are assuming that anybody who stays is not surviving. What a horrific thing, all around
It was FL attorney general. It seems like it was a comment regarding those who refuse to leave. Like the people who chose to not leave their beachfront homes died from the storm surge.
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/wri...
I recently did a code analysis for a proposed dental school in the Ft Lauderdale area - the ultimate wind speed stipulated for the design of building lateral-force-resisting-systems was 180 mph (based on 3-second gust wind speeds). I saw reports the other day that Helene was reaching 180 mph sustained wind speeds and 200 mph gusts! If that's accurate then this hurricane is stronger than what even the newest high rise buildings are designed to resist. Very scary stuff.
Sorry - Milton not Helene
Milton is back down to a Cat 3 storm, with winds at 130 to 140 mph. It may pick up force again, but it looks like it's dying down before making landfall.
That's great! Still nasty but not as bad as it could of been!
Oh man Kowski that is *scary* to think about designing for gusts then the sustained wind being even higher. Yikes. Glad to hear from gwharton that it's easing down a bit.
I'd much prefer that *this* Milton was bearing down on all those folks near the coast.
One of my favorite professors, now passed, was named Milton. They man was very kind and wouldn't hurt anyone intentionally. Hearing the hurricane share his name confuses me greatly.
Hurricane humor.
"Well, that's the last straw..."
Seen on Threads, not verified: hundreds of birds (the blue dots) are stuck in Milton’s eye. They can’t fly out. (insert crying face)
This was just up today, although it's unfortunate that the building cost is more than double other new homes in the area
https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/12...
unfortunate as in, they are horribly out of reach of the average family income.
So, follow up to the roof strap thing - they got out totally unscathed, as did their neighbors. Which is wonderful for all involved.
Thanks for this update, bowling ball! I haven't seen anything verified on that guy.