Building a Hurricane-Proof House

Why do some houses withstand hurricanes better than others? Researchers at the International Hurricane Research Center at Florida International University hope to find out with a first-of-its-kind hurricane simulator, scheduled to be completed next summer. The "Wall of Wind" machine, composed of 24 massive fans, will be capable of generating category 5 winds of more than 155mph. It will allow scientists for the first time to study the effect of wind on full-size homes, which may ultimately lead to a home-safety rating similar to the one for vehicles. "People crash perfectly good cars into concrete walls," says Dr. Stephen Leatherman, the center's director. "That's exactly what we're going to be doing to houses." The project's financial backers, the state of Florida and the insurance industry, hope its findings will lead to less property damage and lower insurance premiums. Already, the FIU team has used a six-fan wind machine to test, among other things, the strength of cement roofing tiles versus clay (go with cement) and ways to disrupt wind flow over roofs and prevent them from being torn off. But six fans is just a squall. Eighteen more, and they can really get to work.

—Amy Green and Arian Campo-Flores

© 2007