Quote:
Originally Posted by Clodfobble
The pinpoint path of destruction always amazes me as well. One house in a tornado's path will be gone, completely leveled to the ground, and the house next door will appear untouched.
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Detailed pictures for Hurricane Andrew in Time Magazine demonstrated why. Look closely. An aerial photo showed the entire block leveled. Look closely at houses across the street. Not one destroyed.
If its roof is not properly attached, it will lift off. Then the entire structure has been compromised - will easily fall like stacked cards. Those houses across the street apparently had hurricane straps. Those roofs did not fly. So those houses remained intact.
Visit a house being framed. Atop each stud are two horizontal 2x4s. It is called the plate. Observe outside corners. Do those 2x4s overlap? Or just butted together.
If corners are not properly constructed, then the house will fall like cards. If those 2x4s are not overlapped, then butted walls easy separate. Also half way up corner 2x4s MUST be blocks. So that intersecting walls are also joined half way up (4 feet). If these required construction practices do not exist (maybe half of homes are not done this way), then the house is an easy victim of any severe storm. And so across the street (on the edges of those Time Magazine pictures) was another block of houses that remained intact.
A devil is found in those details. Since I don't entertain the devil, then god recently visited me. But that's another topic.