Category: Natural Hazards and Extreme Weather
Oct
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Severe windstorm studies have shown that storm-related damage can be prevented or minimized. The keys to this are windstorm preparation planning in advance of the storm, and organized action during and after the storm. Windstorm…

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Aug
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Tornadoes can cause severe property damage with squalls that can have internal wind speeds of up to 300 mph. They can be extremely destructive due to the very high pressures. The land area affected by…

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Dec
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The major hazards associated with hurricanes are: storm surge and storm tide heavy rainfall and inland flooding high winds rip currents tornadoes For coastal areas, storm surge and large waves produced by hurricanes pose the…

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May
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Two years ago a leading article with a major head line in the USA Today stated “Fierce Hurricane Season Predicted.” The article went on to say that an “extremely active” hurricane season was to occur…

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Feb
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Recent studies have shown that anywhere from 10 to 25% of facilities can experience flooding. Flood maps can give an indication of the flood exposure for a facility. However, there could be errors in these…

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Nov
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A common misconception is that property losses due to winter weather only occur in regions where harsh winters are the standard. Actually, areas that don’t usually have severe weather suffer larger and more costly losses,…

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Sep
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Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 in the Northern Hemisphere. Windstorm is the second highest cause of property loss after fire. Recent severe windstorms have proven that buildings and roofs designed to…

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May
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Liquefaction, as it relates to earthquakes, occurs when the strength and stiffness of a soil is reduced by the strong shaking caused by seismic events. It more commonly occurs in soils where the space between…

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Oct
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For the period 1959-1994, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Publication “Storm Data” indicated over 3,000 deaths, 9,000 injuries and nearly 20,000 property damage reports for the United States. That is about 50 property…

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Jul
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It’s that time of year again for the Northern Hemisphere – Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. As a supplement to our earlier articles dealing with preparing for severe windstorms (see December…

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May
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We occasionally see on TV news where buildings are inundated or submerged in flood water after heavy rain, typhoons or hurricanes. Many people believe it never happens to their own buildings. But is that really…

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Feb
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Facts about Hailstorms: Hail develops during most mid-latitude thunderstorms, often melting before reaching the ground. Hail forms in the updraft of a thunderstorm with stronger storms producing larger hail. The updrafts pull the precipitation up…

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