The term “nature’s fury” can describe any destructive and powerful natural act that may reshape the landscape and threaten human lives and property alike. Examples range from hurricanes and tornadoes to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, avalanches, and blizzards. While it is not possible for humanity to prevent or redirect these destructive acts, geologists and meteorologists are working hard every year to study and thus more accurately predict these destructive acts. With this information on hand, storm warnings and weather reports can allow anyone to evacuate an area or prepare for bad weather, which can save many lives. Hurricanes are a good example of this, where Caribbean and east coast communities can prepare themselves ahead of time for hurricanes with levees, evacuations, and of course, hurricane glass doors and high impact glass windows. Construction companies can reach out to local hotel door suppliers and window makers to get these hurricane proof windows and sliding doors, and thus help prevent serious property damage when a storm hits.
The Power of Hurricanes
There is a good reason why construction companies in Florida are looking for hotel door suppliers and window makers who can provide tough glass: hurricanes are incredibly destructive. Property damage is the single biggest threat, and weak windows and glass doors can be blasted apart by strong winds, drastic changes in air pressure, and flying debris. Even small hurricanes boast a lot of rain and wind power, and the biggest are simply devastating. In the 20th century, a total of 158 hurricanes struck the United States, and Florida alone was hit with 57 of them, with Texas experiencing another 26 storms. Among all these hurricanes, Hurricane Andrew was particularly powerful, and it dealt serious damage to Miami in 1992. Hurricane Andrew also demonstrated how hurricanes can spawn tornadoes during their lifetime, and Andrew in particular made 62 of them.
Now in the 21st century, trends suggest that hurricanes are becoming even more powerful and frequent, and many scientists believe that global climate change is a factor in this trend. At the very least, 2017 set new records for hurricanes, and that year saw 10 different storms form into hurricanes. This remarkable feat has not been seen since 1893, over a century earlier. What is more, 2017 saw the formation of Hurricane Irma, the single most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record. This mammoth category 5 storm contained seven trillion watts of energy and boasted 185 MPH winds for 37 hours. Irma devastated the Caribbean, and it is possible that a storm of this caliber may strike again. So, construction companies are doing their best to stay one step ahead.
Preparing New Buildings for Hurricane Season
Coastal cities like Miami can take many preemptive measures against hurricanes, from public warnings about the storm’s estimated arrival time to the erection of levees to block off flooding waters. Meanwhile, a tall building such as a hotel or apartment complex or condo is vulnerable to hurricane winds, due to its many windows. Ordinary windows and glass doors will be blasted apart and allow broken glass and winds to get everywhere, which results in unacceptable property damage.
But it’s not an option to simply omit the windows and glass doors, so construction crews will buy wholesale hurricane proof windows, and get hurricane proof glass doors from any hotel door supplier they can find. A hotel door supplier will build door systems with glazed glass that resists strong winds and the physical impact of debris, and hurricane proof windows are similar. Glass with a glaze system rated at +105/-130 can endure hurricane winds at 100 MPH or higher, and they may allow debris to bounce right off. This goes a long way toward protecting the building’s interior, and many new coastal city buildings are constructed with them.
Similarly, someone who buys an older building in a hurricane-prone area will inspect that building not only for routine hardware issues, but also check to see if the windows and sliding glass doors are ready for a storm. If the windows and doors are shabby, damaged, or old, they should be replaced with fresh, modern hurricane proof windows and doors before hurricane season arrives. This will prove a very smart investment whenever a storm hits.
