The term “nature’s fury” can describe any powerful act of the natural world that can damage the local terrain and damage human buildings alike. Often, these take the forms of hurricanes and tornadoes, flash floods, volcanic eruptions, lightning strikes, and earthquakes, among others. While there is no way to prevent these acts of nature from taking place, geologists, meteorologists, and other scientists are always hard at work studying such phenomena. This allows them to better predict the timing and scale of any storm or event, and that information allows cities to launch evacuation efforts and build structures that can resist such devastation. For example, hurricane glass windows and hurricane glass doors are built to endure the strong winds and wind-blown debris during a storm, and construction companies can reach out to hurricane glass windows manufacturers for supplies. Hurricane proof windows are a common sight in Florida and other hurricane-prone areas, and for good reason.
The Power of Hurricanes
Many studies are done to track the power, nature, and frequency of hurricanes, and many statistics have been assembled. These storms, even the smaller ones, can be devastating, and so, hurricane glass windows and hurricane glass door systems are vital in coastal areas like Florida. What do the numbers show? In the 20th century, a total of 158 hurricanes struck the United States, and among those, 57 struck Florida in particular, while Texas faced another 26 along its Gulf of Mexico. Hurricanes come in different sizes, and one of the largest int he 20th century was Hurricane Andrew. Forming in 1992, this massive hurricane devastated Miami, and it demonstrated how hurricanes can even form tornadoes while they are over land. Hurricane Andrew, in particular, generated 62 different tornadoes.
So far, trends suggest that hurricanes in the 21st century are even more powerful and frequent than those in the 20th century. Many scientists attribute this to climate change, and a warming of the world’s oceans. As evidence of this trend, Hurricane Irma (which formed in 2017) is the most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record. This enormous storm contained seven trillion watts of energy, and it boasted 185 MPH winds for 37 hours. It devastated the Caribbean, and left many people in Barbuda without their homes. It is likely that hurricanes of Irma’s caliber may strike again, so coastal cities such as Miami are working hard to marshal all possible defenses. A city cannot be moved out of the way, but levees can be set up to contain rising flood waters, and hurricane glass windows and doors will endure strong winds when a hurricane arrives.
Technology for Hurricanes
Often, it is construction crews along the East Coast who are purchasing hurricane glass windows and glass door models, and specialized companies can manufacture them and sell them to these wholesale buyers. This is not something for the average homeowner to concern themselves with; often, home buyers purchase hurricane-resistant shutters instead. But for large and tall buildings, such as condos and apartments and hotels, hurricane glass windows are a must. Construction crews will order hundreds or even thousands of them, and install them from top to bottom. The same is true of sliding glass doors, which are popular in the area. Ordinarily, a building’s windows and glass doors are vulnerable to damage in a storm, but a Florida condo’s builders won’t simply omit them to protect the interior. Instead, specialized, tough windows will be put in.
These windows have a glaze on them that allows them to endure extremes of pressure, and in particular, window and door systems with impact-resistant glaze systems rated +105/-130 can endure hurricane force winds in excess of 100 MPH. They may also allow debris to bounce right off them, without breaking too easily. This prevents wind and rain (and broken glass) from getting into the building’s interior and causing severe damage. And when an entrepreneur purchases an older building, they will perform inspections, especially the doors and windows there. If those doors and windows are shabby or old, then they should be replaced with the newest and toughest high-impact windows and doors. Contractors can be hired to perform this work, and it may prove an excellent investment and precaution if a hurricane strikes.
