Study: Construction methods contributed to damage
Tags: mississippiMississippi doesn't have a statewide building code, so some houses in that state might have been destroyed or made inhabitable, while other nearby houses might be OK. And, small things like "nails and extra bolts" might have made all the difference:
…The review was completed by a five-person team organized by the University of Alabama. University researchers, building code specialists, engineers and wood industry experts spent three days inspecting 30 locations in southern Mississippi and eastern Louisiana. The goal was to explain why some homes survived, and others were uninhabitable.
"The lesson to be learned is attention to detail," said John van de Lindt, a Colorado State University professor who was part of the team. "If the (building) code was followed, things seemed to do really well."
The group didn't spend much time looking at the rubble of homes nearest the coast, where structures were washed away by a storm surge topping 35 feet. Instead, it focused on homes just a little inland.
"Designing against surge can be done, but it would be so expensive that no one could afford it," said Andrew Graettinger, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Alabama.
The research group determined that new homes fared better than older ones, but porches were a problem area.
"The columns supporting them were just resting on the concrete, and the wind would just pick it up," van de Lindt said. "That led to roof failures on both homes and light industrial buildings."
The group also found evidence of spotty quality between builders. But rather than purposely skirting building codes, builders apparently didn't understand all the requirements of constructing hurricane-proof homes, the team believes.
