Hurricane proof building
From ArticleWorld
A Hurricane proof building is usually built to resist not only strong winds of high velocity but has other architectural considerations that makes it withstand other natural crises. Some common disaster situations, including hurricanes, which a house has to weather are:
Natural hazards
- Storms: To be able to stand against storms, houses close to the beach need to be built on as high a ground as possible and unless their foundations can be constructed on solid rock they should be built of steel, cement or wooden poles.
- High velocity winds: If there is danger of the house being exposed to high velocity winds then, apart from being structurally strong, it helps if the house is dome shaped, since such houses are better able to weather high velocity winds.
Building parts and materials
The different parts of the house should be well reinforced to be able to do their part in standing up to a natural disaster. Roofs should be resistant; doors should open outside so as to avoid their opening in during high velocity winds and causing further damage. Windows should be made of unbreakable glass and the window glass itself should be very firmly attached to the frames so as to avoid shattering.
If wood has to be used as building material it should be termite resistant and needs to be pressure tested for all kinds of weather. If wood is not essential, concrete works best as it is the most weather resistant building material.