It is simply a fact that the natural earth will always create devastating calamities that may threaten lives and property alike. While nothing can be done to prevent an earthquake, hurricane, or tornado, meteorologists, geologists, and engineers are always hard at work finding new ways to minimize property damage in the face of natural disasters. For example, meteorologists may study and track storms of all sorts to better predict when and where they will appear, and this can help save lives. Storm warnings and evacuation efforts are coordinated with the work of meteorologists, and meanwhile, engineers and architects help the remaining buildings endure an oncoming storm. A hotel or office building can’t evacuate along with the people, but hurricane glass doors, high impact windows, and elevated foundations can help a building survive a hurricane’s fury. A glass door system such as hurricane glass doors will have the right glaze to endure winds and blunt trauma, and the same is true of hurricane proof windows. These hurricane glass doors and hurricane glass windows may be available for construction crews to purchase and install during a construction project, and a project manager may look up “hurricane glass doors suppliers” online to find the right products.
What Hurricanes Are Capable Of
Even smaller hurricanes that rank low in the hurricane category system are quite powerful, and category 5 storms are truly devastating. Any hurricane, big or small, will deliver strong winds, heavy rain, windblown debris, and rising flood waters, among other phenomena. What have meteorologists determined about these storms? For reference, a total of 158 Atlantic hurricanes struck the United States during the 20th century, and Florida alone was hit with 57 of them. Around 26 other hurricanes arrived on the Texas coast, too. In the 20th century, Hurricane Andrew in particular stands out, and in 1992 this hurricane devastated the Florida coast. What is more, Hurricane Andrew was a fine example of how hurricanes may sometimes form tornadoes during their life. Andrew created 62 tornadoes in total before it finally dissipated.
Trends and data suggest that hurricanes are becoming even more powerful and frequent now in the 21st century, and it is possible that climate change, and a warming of the world’s oceans, are causing this trend. Warm ocean water fuels hurricanes, after all. Hurricane Irma, which formed in 2017, may serve as evidence of this trend, being the most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record. This juggernaut of a storm boasted 185 MPH winds for 37 hours, and it contained an impressive seven trillion watts of energy. This storm caused extensive damage in Puerto Rico, and Irma damaged 90% of the buildings in Barbuda and left 60% of the people there homeless. And it is quite possible that a hurricane of this caliber may strike again, so engineers and architects are working hard to get buildings ready for such incidents. Among other construction strategies, hurricane glass doors and windows may go a long way toward limiting property damage.
What Hurricane Glass Doors and Windows Can Do
In any building such as a skyscraper or a hotel, the windows are a weak point during a storm such as hurricanes, but it is not an option to simply omit them. Instead, as mentioned earlier, construction crews in hurricane prone areas may purchase wholesale hurricane glass doors and windows from local manufacturers and install them in new buildings. Similarly, when a person buys an older building, they should conduct a thorough inspection to check all the hardware, including windows and doors. Shabby, old, or weak windows or doors can be replaced with tough, new hurricane resistant models once contractors are hired to help.
These hurricane resistant windows and glass doors boast a glaze rating system of +105/-130, which allows the glass to endure winds over 100 MPH in strength without breaking. Flying debris may bounce right off them, too. This is essential, since shattered windows in a hurricane may scatter sharp glass everywhere and allow winds and rain to get in, damaging the building’s interior. Similarly, a building may have hurricane shutters on it, which can be made of wood or metal. These shutters protect the windows from breaking when a passing hurricane causes serious differences in air pressure that can break glass.