It is proposed to collect structural damage data that is caused by the EF5 tornado in the city of Moore, Oklahoma on May 20, 2013. The damage path of this tornado overlaps the damage paths of two previous tornadoes of 1999 and 2003. After the 1999 tornado several above ground safe rooms were constructed in residences. It would be beneficial to assess performance of safe rooms subjected to an extreme tornado. Even though there are close to 1,000 tornadoes recorded each year, less than 10 tornadoes are rated EF 4 and EF 5. When an EF5 tornado impacts a city there is a unique opportunity to document building damage and learn from the damage. This tornado damaged two schools, several commercial buildings, few safe rooms and hundreds of residential structures. RAPID funding provides an opportunity to document the damage before damaged buildings are cleared and the debris is moved.
The project team will work with other RAPID grantee teams in the field to improve coverage of the damage area and avoid duplication. The team of faculty members and students will travel to the damage site and document failure modes, materials of construction, location of structures with respect to the center of the path, and debris impacts for each documented structure. This team will document performance of safe rooms that are in the path of the tornado in addition to other damage. The RAPID teams will develop contour maps of EF ratings and wind speeds based on observed Degrees of Damage. These maps will be compared with past tornado studies to evaluate the similarities and differences. This comparison will contribute to the understanding of the spatial characteristics of tornado wind forces on structures. Building failure progression will be determined in different wind speed zones. The benefits and challenges of using social media (twitter) to improve disaster assessment will be determined.
