Reason #568 why I had to turn off the TV
Aug. 28th, 2005 09:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pbrayBecause of the news report that casually mentioned that while New Orleans is evacuating people to the Superdome because of the belief that the structure can withstand 200 mph winds-- it's just that, a belief.
There have been no engineering studies done on whether or not the Superdome could withstand the winds of a category 4 or 5 hurricane-- after the near miss of the last hurricane a study had been commissioned, but it hasn't been finished.
This reminds me of the engineering study done on the John Hancock Building in Boston, meant to ensure that it could withstand a hurricane. Due to its odd shape, there was concern that it could fall over onto its short side. Fortunately an engineering study proved that yes, it was safe, even if a hurricane hit Boston dead center it would not fall over onto it short side.
But the engineers doing the study decided to go beyond the original scope of work requested. They decided to see if there were any conditions under which the building could fall over onto its long side. It was such an absurd idea that no one had thought it worth studying. It was as if you had stood a hardback book up on a table and asked what the odds were that it would fall over onto its spine. Common sense said that the odds were nil. Common sense was wrong-- the engineering study showed that the winds of even a moderate hurricane could tip the building over. Millions of dollars were spent to fix the problem, and a special insurance policy was taken out while the repairs were going on, just in case.
And I'm not even going to get in to the people of Houma, Louisiana, who have decided to ride out the storm in their shrimp boats....
Now's the time to write that check to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, and send my thoughts and prayers for the folks who are facing a very long night and difficult morning.
There have been no engineering studies done on whether or not the Superdome could withstand the winds of a category 4 or 5 hurricane-- after the near miss of the last hurricane a study had been commissioned, but it hasn't been finished.
This reminds me of the engineering study done on the John Hancock Building in Boston, meant to ensure that it could withstand a hurricane. Due to its odd shape, there was concern that it could fall over onto its short side. Fortunately an engineering study proved that yes, it was safe, even if a hurricane hit Boston dead center it would not fall over onto it short side.
But the engineers doing the study decided to go beyond the original scope of work requested. They decided to see if there were any conditions under which the building could fall over onto its long side. It was such an absurd idea that no one had thought it worth studying. It was as if you had stood a hardback book up on a table and asked what the odds were that it would fall over onto its spine. Common sense said that the odds were nil. Common sense was wrong-- the engineering study showed that the winds of even a moderate hurricane could tip the building over. Millions of dollars were spent to fix the problem, and a special insurance policy was taken out while the repairs were going on, just in case.
And I'm not even going to get in to the people of Houma, Louisiana, who have decided to ride out the storm in their shrimp boats....
Now's the time to write that check to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, and send my thoughts and prayers for the folks who are facing a very long night and difficult morning.
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Date: 2005-08-29 04:02 am (UTC)Now, I'm a naive person that believes almost everything that I'm told....