Today the weather was rather bad...
I got spoiled by lovely temperatures, beautiful cloud-free sky and ice-cream vans dotted here and there...
Today I got nothing of it! The weather was cold, wet, windy and more than for an ice-cream I wished for a hot chocolate and marshmallows.
I got spoiled by lovely temperatures, beautiful cloud-free sky and ice-cream vans dotted here and there...
Today I got nothing of it! The weather was cold, wet, windy and more than for an ice-cream I wished for a hot chocolate and marshmallows.
As I was looking out the window, taking in the wonderful view of the Manhattan skyscrapers I started wondering what would happen if a tornado hit the city.
Would the wind be broken by the high towers? Would they be able to stand the wind force or come crashing down?
Would the wind be broken by the high towers? Would they be able to stand the wind force or come crashing down?
Apparently the fact that high buildings disperse the whirlwinds is just a myth. No place is immune to tornadoes and it turns out that concentrations of large buildings may help produce stronger tornadoes, not weaker ones!
And I thought I was safe!!!!
But I remember actually asking this question to the guide of the Empire State Building about a year ago when I got to the top and he sort of told me not to worry...
It seems like the skyscrapers are build to withstand big blows and the only parts in danger would be the windows but not the internal steel structure.
And I thought I was safe!!!!
But I remember actually asking this question to the guide of the Empire State Building about a year ago when I got to the top and he sort of told me not to worry...
It seems like the skyscrapers are build to withstand big blows and the only parts in danger would be the windows but not the internal steel structure.
As the windborne debris is the major danger the best thing to do would be to go on the lowest floor possible and towards the interior, away from the windows... apparently staircases are quite safe too! This is because the tornado would create a very strong force on the flat surface of the glass windows which would immediately shatter. Then everything inside (furniture, complements...) would fly out like projectiles as the wind blows right through. Once this happens the building itself would put up very little resistance to the wind in relation to how strong the structure is as the surface of the steel beams would be rather small.
In addition these structure are build to be relatively flexible (sometimes, when staying on the higher floors, one can even feel the "swing") and so would be more resistant to strong winds.
This said, I really hope never to see anything like the picture here below...
It makes for an awesome picture but a not so awesome feeling of impending doom!!!
In addition these structure are build to be relatively flexible (sometimes, when staying on the higher floors, one can even feel the "swing") and so would be more resistant to strong winds.
This said, I really hope never to see anything like the picture here below...
It makes for an awesome picture but a not so awesome feeling of impending doom!!!
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