Severe weather has caused widespread damage across areas of the United States with severe weather incidents stretching from Texas to Minnesota already this year. 2010 was ranked the seventh most active year for tornados since recording began in 1950, according to the NOAA – with twisters in all of the lower 48 states except Nevada, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Delaware.
A devastated Walmart store in Joplin
The climate prediction center is suggesting that 2011 will be a highly active year for tropical storm activity, with 3 to 6 major level hurricanes and up to 18 named storms. These predictions are based upon factors such as ocean temperatures and weather systems like La Nina, whose dissipation in the Pacific during the summer will create conditions conducive to storm activities elsewhere.
Seeing the pictures of devastation in cities like Joplin, Missouri, many Americans are coming to terms with how vulnerable they are to the severe effects of natural disasters and severe weather. Is there a way to construct our cities and towns to protect us from these dangers?
Homes built from adobe block are heavy and durable
Many of the harrowing images show homes reduced to rubble, piles of timber or completely gone. However pressures on pricing and construction speed mean that many buildings are designed and built with technology that is almost 100 years old.
In California, buildings are constructed to strict codes that require stronger walls, deeper foundations and features that will make them more likely to survive a strong earthquake, and some older buildings have been improved to meet these requirements. This is also the case in other regions, and overseas in countries such as Japan. The superior construction of buildings was key to the survival of many during the recent earthquakes.
Homes constructed of heavy blocks up to three times the thickness of standard walls can create buildings more likely to remain in place during severe weather. One example of this is adobe block, made from compacted earth which weighs approximately 20 times more than a standard home. Not only are these buildings intended to stay in place, they are also more resistant to insects, damp and factors that destroy wooden homes, and provide more efficient insulation to keep them warm in winter and cool in summer.
High tech materials like carbon fiber make incredibly strong structures that are also flexible, meaning they are far less likely to collapse or break down under stress. Glass can be manufactured to higher thicknesses that will resist breaking in high winds or when pounded with debris, without compromising on clarity. These materials are also highly expensive, and out of the reach of many homebuilders.
For protection during a storm, special ‘tents’ are available that use a combination of steel and kevlar – the material used to make bullet proof vests – that will keep a family safe from flying debris and collapsing materials. These can be erected inside the home, or integrated during construction to make ‘storm rooms’ where the whole family can go during a storm. The recently opened Reynolds Center, a Children’s shelter in North West Arkansas, where tornadoes are commonplace, includes several of these storm rooms. See this promotional video from DuPont, makers of Kevlar.
Another much cheaper material is known as ‘concrete canvas’. Fabric covered with concrete can be made into a low-profile tent using a simple frame. When water is applied the concrete material reacts and sets super hard, providing a heavy, robust shelter where people can wait out until safe. This is especially useful for areas such as trailer parks where there is no available underground shelter like a basement.
Creating a concrete shelter - ConcreteCanvas.co.uk
One radical idea that could also contribute to weather proofing of homes is the ‘subscraper’ – where the majority of the building exists under the ground. These buildings are not only highly energy efficient but they are protected by the surrounding ground and remain a safe haven in severe conditions.
Whilst many, many tornadoes touch down in the United States each day, there are resdients who have lived in ‘tornado alley’ for years and never saw one. As recent pictures have shown, a single tornado can devastate a home, while leaving the neighboring property completely untouched. So the chances of suffering a direct hit by one of these storms remains low, but hopefully from such devastation will come new ideas and techniques that can go some way to protecting future generations by reminding us that we remain at the mercy of the elements.
Find out more about twisters, severe weather, tornado alley and hurricanes through Maps101. Includes Geography in the News current events articles and stunning National Geographic footage of tornadoes and how they are formed. Get a free trial today.
Related articles
- Joplin Braces For Second Round of Severe Weather (abcnews.go.com)
- Search for tornado survivors a race against time – Boston Globe (news.google.com)
- Severe Weather Coverage [May 25] (thefrontblog.wordpress.com)
- Joplin dodges new storms as cleanup continues (cnn.com)
- ‘High risk’ of severe weather in plains states (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
- Joplin dodges new storms as cleanup continues – CNN International (news.google.com)
Filed under: Current Events, Global Perspectives, Nature and Wildlife Tagged: | conservation, earth science, Education, environment, Geography, Geography in the News, Joplin Missouri, k-12, Librarians, maps101, National Geographic, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Oklahoma, Online Resource, Reynolds Center, Severe weather, shelter, Social Studies, storm room, storn room, Teacher, Teachers, Technology Coordinators, Tornado, Weather
