Hurricane Michael – A Brief Analysis & Windstorm Mitigation

Hurricane Michael, classified as near Category-5 hurricane, originated from the eastern Gulf of Mexico on Oct 10, 2018. It made a hard landfall on the Mexico Beach, South Florida and continued inwards passing through the state of Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and parts of North Carolina.

During the course of its path, it caused immense damage to properties, near the sea beach and its vicinity. Notable among those damaged were Tyndall AFB, which saw roofs of several buildings blown away and tress uprooted. Bay Medical Center in the Panama City was also extensively damaged with glass windows shattered by the force of the gusts.

Michael was a tropical windstorm which quickly converted into a category 4 Hurricane. The residents of areas like South Florida and Panama City, hardly had any time to move to safer locations as it took just a 24 hours for #HurricaneMichael to grow from category 1 to 5 hurricane.

Submerged areas around Mexico Beach due to Hurricane Michael

The National Hurricane Center issued relevant advisories for Hurricane Michael and upgraded its strength to Category 4 as it came closer to make the landfall. The Mexico Beach and its surrounding areas were completely submerged as visible from aerial survey.

In its path of destruction, #HurricaneMichael left behind enormous amount debris. It also left behind lessons for us to learn, to analyse the structural failures which led to loss of property. Such high intensity hurricane also underlines the inherent need for proper Windstorm Inspections by certified inspectors.

Residents Assessing damage to their property and the Neighborhood

Team EDP Engineers and Inspectors, along its neighborhood community pray for the safety and well being of residents of the hurricane affected areas.

In a follow up to this analysis, EDP will discuss how we can execute structural design, for buildings and custom residential structures to withstand, severe lateral forces generated by winds exceeding 155 mph wind speed mark. We will also explore the potential benefits of regular home inspections to help make windstorm proof homes.

Please find more information about relief efforts in your state and Local County by searching for Hurricane Relief Centers.

More on Twitter #Michael

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