Performance of Residential Shelters during the May 20, 2013, Tornado in Moore, Oklahoma
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 29, Issue 5
Abstract
Residential shelter performance, in the aftermath of the devastating May 20, 2013, EF5 tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma, was investigated by a reconnaissance team comprised of researchers from several universities. The team observed and documented 75 residential shelters along the tornado damage path and noted that the concept of shared shelter use was responsible for saving many lives. All belowground shelters performed well with no evidence of structural compromise or shelter breach from debris missiles; however, debris was occasionally observed blocking the opening of the garage slab residential shelters and flooding was also noted in a few cases. Although less common, the majority of above ground residential shelters observed were found in areas that experienced EF3–EF4 estimated wind speeds. In all cases but one, the above ground safe rooms performed well. A debris missile breach of an insulated concrete form (ICF) safe room was documented. While poor construction quality, specifically poor concrete consolidation in areas where plastic cross-ties held the form together, was found to be the major contributing factor in this failure, other factors such as safe room placement within the house and the type of missile (thin-walled steel square tubing) also contributed to this failure.
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Acknowledgments
This research was funded by NSF RAPID grants 1345311, 1348609, and 1349084. The authors would also like to thank Tim Marshall for his review and helpful recommendations. Thanks to the team members from the University of Alabama, University of Florida, Mississippi State University, University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, Oregon State University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and Simpson Strong-Tie.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 29 • Issue 5 • October 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 3, 2013
Accepted: May 27, 2014
Published online: Sep 15, 2014
Discussion open until: Feb 15, 2015
Published in print: Oct 1, 2015
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