| INADEQUATE CONSTRUCTION CONTRIBUTED
TO KATRINA DAMAGE
Poor construction of older homes in the U.S. Gulf Coast region contributed
to the severity of the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina’s winds,
according to a preliminary report issued by a Colorado State University
(CSU) professor and a team of engineers from around the country.
John van de Lindt, civil engineering professor at CSU, served as the principal
investigator on the project, which was funded by the National Science
Foundation.
Hurricane Katrina became the most destructive storm on record after making
landfall in southeast Louisiana as a Category 4 storm and devastating
the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama coastlines. The storm and its aftermath
killed more than 1,000 people in Louisiana alone.
Older homes studied by van de Lindt’s team were built with conventional
construction methods and performed poorly under hurricane-force winds,
which led to significant structural and non-structural damage, the report
said. The majority of homes studied were within five miles of Interstate
10 along the Mississippi Gulf Coast in such areas as Gulfport and Biloxi,
MS.
Highlights of the study include:
• Wind uplift load path was not consistently provided, resulting
in structural failure.
• Support columns under porch overhangs and in carports were not
anchored into concrete.
• Nail spacing did not meet code minimums particularly in roof sheathing,
resulting in loss of roof sheathing and allowing water into roofs.
• Homes that followed design codes and newer homes performed well,
suggesting effectiveness of design code revisions adopted in 1992 after
Hurricane Andrew.
• Small details, such as a lack of nails in hurricane clips, were
not addressed.
Researchers visited the coast for five days in late September. Other participants
in the study are Kenneth J. Fridley and Andrew J. Graettinger, University
of Alabama; Rakesh Gupta, Oregon State University; Steven E. Pryor, Simpson
Strong Tie; and Thomas D. Skaggs, APA-The Engineered Wood Association.
“We hope this information can help decision-makers in the Gulf Coast
region and stress the importance of paying attention to design codes and
standards,” van de Lindt said.
The committee plans to submit a final report that includes 27 case studies—from
single-family homes to entire subdivisions—to the National Science
Foundation, van de Lindt said..
ICC OFFERS CODE UPDATE SEMINARS
BY PHONE
Architects, engineers, plan reviewers, code officials and other building
safety and fire prevention professionals can learn about changes to the
2006 International Codes and earn continuing education units through an
International Code Council (ICC) Telephone Seminar.
The ICC is offering the 2006 International Codes Update Telephone Seminar
Series beginning in January. Four separate sessions offer an overview of
the changes from the 2003 edition to the 2006 edition of the International
Building, Residential, Plumbing and Fire Codes. Each class will focus on
changes in code requirements and organization, as well as the applicability
of new requirements to design, plan review and inspection.
Each 90-minute seminar includes handouts and question-and-answer periods
to provide participants with a thorough understanding of each topic. Each
session is taught by a code expert who assists design, construction and
code professionals across the nation in interpreting and applying the International
Codes.
Several people can gather in one conference room and participate in the
seminar together using a speaker phone. The number of people who can attend
is limitless.
The registration fee for each telephone seminar is $175 per site and pays
for an unlimited number of participants at one location. The call-in number
for each seminar is toll-free and groups may select to attend any number
of seminars in the series. For more information visit www.iccsafe.org/training.
METALTECH PROTECTS HABITAT HOMES
This year, MetalTech, Inc., Hialeah, FL, sponsored the construction of the
Natalie Donley home in Overton, FL. The home was built in memory of Steve
and Richard Buzzella’s sister Jeannie Buzzella Fuller.
Since 1999 the Buzellas had been getting the company involved in Habitat
for Humanity. They decided that MetalTech would donate hurricane shutters
on every house Habitat built in Miami-Dade County (see HP, Show Issue 2005,
page 32). Since that decision, the Buzzella family and MetalTech have protected
the home of more than 150 Habitat families.
ALL POINTS MOVES
TO NEW DISTRIBUTION CENTER
All Points Screw, Bolt & Specialty, Pompano Beach, FL, has moved to
a new 29,000-square-foot distribution center. The move was made in response
to an increase in sales and customers served, the company states.
Less than six years ago Gaby and Greg Mann bought a 10,000-square-foot
warehouse and moved All Points to Pompano Beach. During that time, demand
required adding an 8,000-square-foot warehouse across the street (see
HP, Summer 2003, page 33). The company also has added six outside sales
people and six vans to deliver product to both coasts in southern Florida.
The new building allows the company to improve the way orders are processed
and filled, it says.
WINDOOR EXPANDS
CENTRAL FLORIDA MANUFACTURING FACILITY
WinDoor, Inc., Orlando, FL, broke ground in October on the site of a new
300,000 square-foot manufacturing facility that will be located at International
Corporate Park. The project will result in the retention of more than
200 jobs, the addition of more than 200 jobs over the next few years,
and an estimated capital investment of more than $14 million dollars.
WinDoor plans to move into the new facility in August 2006. The company
specializes in the design and manufacturing of hurricane-resistant windows
and doors. Products are sold through a dealer base that spans from Texas
to North Carolina.
|
