A variety of natural disasters and storms may occur around the world based on local geography or climates, often known as “nature’s fury.” While there is no way to prevent or divert most instances of nature’s power aside from canals and dams blocking water, some measures can be taken to ensure that property and buildings can survive these natural disasters. Buildings constructed near fault lines, for example, often feature foundations and internal structure that can resist earthquakes, such as along California’s San Andreas fault. Meanwhile, many buildings are put on elevated foundations that can allow flood water to pass under them, and many structures along the east coast are designed with hurricanes in mind. These storms bring to bear powerful winds, rain, and windblown debris, so hurricane proof sliding glass doors and hurricane impact doors are essential for any Florida building. High impact glass may be fitted into hurricane proof windows, and choosing hurricane proof windows is nearly always the right call for building contractors. When choosing hurricane proof windows, these workers may turn to local, reputable suppliers for high impact rated glass doors and windows, and install them.
Why Choosing Hurricane Proof Windows Matters
Property damage can often be quite expensive to deal with, and devastated buildings may leave many people homeless or ruin businesses. Therefore, buildings along the east coast and in the Caribbean will have high impact windows and doors to resist any hurricane that strikes. Meteorologists are always hard at work studying these storms, so that a hurricane’s size, power, timing, and area of impact can be predicted accurately. This makes evacuation efforts smoother and more effective, and choosing hurricane proof windows is a fine way to help protect buildings, since a hotel certainly can’t be evacuated before a storm.
Even smaller hurricanes are quite powerful, and some bigger storms can be devastating. For historical context, a total of 158 different hurricanes struck the United States throughout the 20th century, and 57 of them struck Florida along, with Texas getting another 26. These states in particular are in great need of installing hurricane proof windows and doors, especially now in the 21st century. Many trends and statistics suggest that hurricanes are even more powerful and frequent in the 2000s and 2010s, possibly due to climate change. This calls for ever more advanced models of hurricane proof windows and sliding glass doors in any area where hurricanes might strike.
A standout is hurricane Irma, which formed in 2017 and represented new heights in hurricane power. This mammoth Category 5 storm boasted 185 MPH winds for 37 straight hours, and it contained an incredible seven trillion watts of energy. This storm destroyed around 90% of all buildings in Barbuda and left 60% of the population homeless by the time it was over. And in that same year, 10 different storms in a row formed into fully-fledged hurricanes, a feat not seen since 1893. And what is more, some hurricanes are known to spawn tornadoes while they’re over land. Back in 1992, Hurricane Andrew formed 62 different tornadoes.
Getting Ready for Hurricanes
As mentioned earlier, a city or town’s population can be evacuated before a hurricane strikes, but the buildings certainly cannot be moved away. Instead, they will be constructed with hurricanes in mind, and that goes beyond flood-resistant foundations and tough internal structures. Windows are a weak point in a large commercial building during a hurricane, and buildings such as office towers, apartments, hotels, and condos have a lot of them. Ordinary windows may be blasted apart by a hurricane’s strong winds and windblown debris, which allows extensive property damage inside the structure. But a building can’t simply omit windows, so instead, choosing hurricane proof windows during a construction project is the standard procedure.
Hurricane proof windows and sliding glass doors have a tough, specialized glaze with a +105/-130 rating to resist winds over 100 MPH in strength. What is more, these windows allow windblown debris to bounce right off them, and all of these factors help protect a building’s interior during a storm. And if an older building is purchased for business, the new owner may have the current windows and doors inspected, then replaced with current models if need be. This may make all the difference during a hurricane.
