11/19/2023 0 Comments Joplin tornado damageContrary to the currently popular belief that nothing above ground can survive a violent tornado, it IS possible to significantly mitigate damage through relatively simple measures such as use of hurricane clips. In any event I think this report raises a number of significant issues:ġ. That doesn't necessarily mean higher wind speeds didn't occur, it just means they can't be proven based on structural damage alone. The report, from what I gather, states that all the structural damage examined COULD be attributed to lower wind speeds - as low as EF-2 for many structures - due to the way they were constructed. The NWS does not plan to change its rating at this time. I wouldn't jump to that conclusion just yet (though others might). Some outlets are billing this story as proof that Joplin was not *really* an EF-5 after all. Here's a link to the actual report (but you have to pay $50 to get it): mods feel free to move or merge if appropriate.Ī report by the American Society of Civil Engineers found no evidence of true EF-5 level damage from the 5/22/11 Joplin tornado: “What we’ve said all along about building the reinforced room is that we don’t hold our facilities out to be storm shelters, but we felt it was appropriate given the events of the past at this store and the sentiment of the community.Thought this topic could use its own thread. When Home Depot rebuilt its tilt-wall store in Joplin, it included a reinforced room, company spokesman Stephen Holmes said. Instead, it was designed to handle 90 mph winds.Īfter examining what happened in Joplin, both NIST and the American Society of Civil Engineers recommended that storm shelters be installed in big-box structures because they lack the material strength to provide protection from tornadoes. That probe found that the building was actually overbuilt when it was constructed in 2001 under the 1996 BOCA Basic Building Code, which said the building should be able to withstand wind loads of 70 mph. In response to a Kansas City Star story a month after the tornado, the Tilt-Up Concrete Association formed a committee to examine the incident and challenge claims that the building was improperly constructed. Before they could get there, the building’s unsupported wall panels collapsed on them after the roof was ripped away by winds estimated at 165 mph, plus or minus 20 mph, according to a National Institute of Standards and Technology study.Ībout 30 people who made it to the training room near the store’s northeast corner survived because the panels fell outward, the NIST study concluded.Īfter the storm, engineers criticized the tilt-up wall method used to construct the store, saying such buildings are prone to collapse in high winds if the roof fails. The lawsuit alleges that as the tornado approached the store, Howard and his children were directed to Home Depot’s training room by employee Dean Wells. Construction of the Home Depot was finished around March 1, 2001, and the lawsuit was filed more than 13 years after it was completed, Casco said. Home Depot USA, which is based in Atlanta, and HD Development denied all of the allegations, calling the EF-5 tornado that killed 161 people and destroyed thousands of buildings an “act of God.” Because of that, imposition of liability on the defendants is prohibited, the company’s attorneys said.Ĭasco also denies all allegations, saying the plaintiff is barred by Missouri’s 10-year law of repose from suing the company. It names as defendants Home Depot USA, property owner HD Development of Maryland, Inc., and store designer Casco Diversified Corp., The Joplin Globe reported. District Court’s Western Missouri District. Housel filed the lawsuit in May in Jasper County Circuit Court, but it was moved last month to U.S.
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