An Oklahoma Suburb, Tornado-Ready

[steve2470]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/14/opinion/an-oklahoma-suburb-tornado-ready.html?_r=0

SHERMAN, Tex. — SOMETIMES it appears as if there is a target hanging over Moore, Okla.: Storms seem to find it.

Although the city was spared last week as tornadoes swept nearby, overturning cars and destroying dozens of homes, Moore hasn’t always been so lucky.

In 1999, 2003 and 2013, powerful tornadoes struck the area, killing dozens and causing billions of dollars in damage. The 1999 storm had the highest wind speed ever recorded when it hit the nearby town of Bridge Creek. In all, 36 people died. Twenty-four more were killed in 2013 by another extraordinarily powerful tornado, including seven children at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, one of two schools hit in the town.

But tragedy can breed resolve, and last year, Moore adopted a stricter building code for residential construction, becoming perhaps the first municipality in the country to approve rules aimed at significantly enhancing the structural strength of new homes and making them more tornado-resistant.

[DhhD]

1. Moore has new building codes.

http://www.cityofmoore.com/node/2111

City Adopts New Building Codes, First in the Nation

MOORE, Okla (March 17, 2014). – Homeowners in Moore will have a better chance against the fury of Mother Nature thanks to the City’s adoption of new residential building codes. The Moore City Council voted unanimously Monday night to adopt the new codes based on research and proven engineering technology proposed by civil engineers Chris Ramseyer and Lisa Holliday. The new building codes mark the City of Moore as the first city in the nation to adopt building codes that focus on the tornadic impact on homes.

more at site link