Newswise — On May 11, 1970, an F5 tornado ripped through downtown Lubbock, killing 26 people and causing more than a half-billion dollars in damage. The devastation also brought forth the nation’s leading facility for wind research at Texas Tech University.
Another tornado season is upon us, and when it comes to protection from tornadoes, Texas Tech remains at the center of debris impact testing and storm shelter development. It also is home to the National Storm Shelter Association (NSSA).
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) published P-320 in 1998, a guide to help property owners decide how best to provide near absolute protection with regard to safe rooms. Virtually all the designs were developed at Texas Tech, with debris impact testing done at the university’s National Wind Institute.
For more on the role Texas Tech plays in tornado and storm shelter research, http://today.ttu.edu/2012/05/researchers-still-play-big-role-in-storm-shelter-development/.
RSS