Monday, November 1, 2010

The Disaster Lab



Nothing like a mini disaster movie to start of your work week, right? The video above shows two homes, one that has been fortified to withstand a tornado or hurricane. As you can see the results are rather dramatic. Amazingly, the fortified home only cost $5,000 more to build... a small price when you consider the alternative.

This test was conducted in the Institute for Business & Home Safety's $40 million, 2,300-square-foot disaster lab in South Carolina, which can simulate entire homes being put against tornado-strength winds or Category 3 hurricanes.

One wall of the lab contains 105 giant fans that can simulate extreme winds, and a 750,000-gallon water tank can introduce water to that mix, simulating tropical storm and hurricane conditions. A large hurricane simulation costs about $100,000 to conduct.

Learn more about the lab at: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-10/video-insurance-industrys-new-disaster-lab-destroys-its-inaugural-home

Digg It!
Buzz Up!
Add to Stumble
Add to Delicious
Reddit
Twit This
Add to Facebook
Google Bookmarks
Sphere: Related Content

0 comments: