Tornado-Induced Structural Damage Based on Reconnaissance Surveys of the 2019 Jefferson City, Missouri, Tornado and Previous Notable Tornadoes
Publication: Natural Hazards Review
Volume 23, Issue 4
Abstract
Tornadoes are violent, short-lived wind phenomena that may result in catastrophic damage to homes and property and significant fatalities. Based on statistical data, a majority of tornado-induced fatalities are related to building failures. As such, it is important to investigate damage and failure modes of buildings under tornado loadings to properly design tornado-resistant buildings. In this study, a literature review was conducted on recent tornado postevent damage surveys to identify representative failure modes of buildings under tornadoes. In addition, based on the direct observations and through analyzing the reconnaissance survey data collected from the Jefferson City, Missouri, tornado of May 22, 2019, different overarching damage types are presented with inferences behind the cause for each damage type and possible retrofits to improve building performance under tornadoes. The obtained research findings will enrich the knowledge base for tornado-resistant design, which will eventually improve the safety and welfare of individuals living in tornado-prone areas.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Terry Barner for his assistance in flying the drone and taking videos. The authors greatly appreciate the financial support from the National Science Foundation through the projects of “Collaborative Research: CoPe EAGER: Coastal Community Resilience Bonds to Enable Coupled Socio-Physical Recovery” (Award No. 1940192); and “SCC-CIVIC-PG Track B: Community Resilience Micro-Bonds to Balance Cost and Social Equity among Stakeholders” (Award No. 2044013).
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Natural Hazards Review
Volume 23 • Issue 4 • November 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 15, 2021
Accepted: Apr 20, 2022
Published online: Aug 18, 2022
Published in print: Nov 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jan 18, 2023
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