Resiliency measures for hurricanes can help with tornadoes

Items like hurricane clips and reinforced windows could reduce or prevent damage on the edges of tornadoes
June 3, 2014

Architect Butch Grimes — who examined the wreckage after a half-mile tornado struck Tuscaloosa, Ala., — believes damage on the edge of even the strongest tornadoes can be reduced by adhering to hurricane resiliency standards. “The damage we had on the edges [of the tornado] could have been avoided with simple construction techniques,” Grimes told Scientific American. Hurricane clips are one potential quick fix. In Alabama, the clips are required for buildings built within 5 miles of the Gulf of Mexico but remain optional farther inland. Reinforced windows could be another effective measure.

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