URGENT Hurricane Irma: What happens if your window breaks?

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  • #1358658
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Is it true that if your window breaks during the hurricane, it’ll create a mini-tornado in your home?

    Saw someone talking about this online. I didn’t even consider the possibility of the winds affecting the inside of the home.

    All I was imagining was broken glass.

    Now if it’s even more serious, that means that one best be in the most secure room for the duration of the storm.

    Thank you in advance

    #1358671
    Joseph
    Participant

    Are you in the projected hurricane region?

    #1358695

    I don’t know but it sounds scary!!!!!! I don’t thing it will make a tornado but there probably be crazy winds and flooding but i don’t think it will vacuum you up and away

    #1358696
    chabadgal
    Participant

    yes, if the windows are not there the inside is the same vulnerable to everything as the outside

    #1358697
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Omgosh it’s true!!!

    From Disaster Safety dot org:

    “Following rigorous scientific wind testing on a full-scale, 1,400 square foot single-story home in its unique laboratory this summer, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) has important new guidance for all homeowners preparing for major wind storms such as Hurricane Irma: close all interior doors, in addition to all windows and exterior doors.

    High winds, such as those currently expected from Hurricane Irma, place homes under intense pressure. Wind entering the home through an open or broken window, can create strong upward pressure on the roof. Closing interior doors helps compartmentalize the pressure inside the home into smaller areas reducing the overall force on the roof structure, which gives the roof a better chance of staying intact.

    “The roof is your first line of defense against anything Mother Nature inflicts on a home, and during a bad storm your roof endures fierce pressure from wind, rain, and flying debris that may be outside,” said Julie Rochman, IBHS president and CEO. “But the roof also must withstand internal pressure if winds get inside. The pressure in your home can build like air in a balloon, eventually causing the roof to fail and blow apart, which – particularly in a hurricane – allows water to come pouring in.”

    As the eastern United States and Caribbean islands prepare for Hurricane Irma, IBHS urges homeowners to follow all evacuation orders and be sure to shut the doors on Irma to increase its ability to withstand the storm.

    IBHS offers additional hurricane preparedness tips here. The Institute will provide further data behind our summer wind testing findings in October.”

    #1358699
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Joseph: I have loved ones in the projected hurricane region and am concerned for them… trying to figure out how to give the best advice

    #1358714
    Moshe1994
    Participant

    They should evacuate ASAP! This storm is probably the worst Hurricane to hit Florida in USA history.
    PS.. There is no advice to give them if they plan on staying…

    #1358718
    r c
    Participant

    PLEASE TELL THEM TO EVACUATE. theres a chance they may only be brushed but right now a worst case scenario is expected this is a super powered hurricane and is not to be played with.

    #1358719
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Moshe1994: That’s not practical for them, or the entire state. From what I’ve heard and read, the roads are already full of people in evacuation zones. Plus gas is limited, with many stations empty.

    #1358722
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    chabadgal: Thank you! That’s terrifying! Wow. Yea and having furniture fly around is another danger.

    The family is planning on staying in their most central bathroom. Every other room in the home has windows or has a door facing a window.

    #1358723
    r c
    Participant

    they should at least get out of miami and as far north and west as they could get.

    #1358744
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    B”H they’re 1hr north of Miami, and not in a mandatory evacuation zone.

    #1358749
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Thank you btw!!! It’s really scary.

    #1358751
    r c
    Participant

    ok good they should be fine evn witha direct hit

    #1358885
    Avram in MD
    Participant

    Breaking windows in a hurricane creates several hazards:
    1. The broken glass itself
    2. Strong winds entering the home, causing debris to fly around
    3. Strong winds inside the home can increase the chances of the roof coming off

    Hurricane shutters or plywood placed over the windows can mitigate these dangers. If you do not have the windows covered, do not put tape on them, because it won’t stop the windows from breaking, and may make the glass projectiles bigger if they do break. Find a windowless room as close to the center of the house as possible, and make this the safe room. Put food and water, a radio, batteries, blankets, pillows, etc. inside. Closing other interior doors is a good idea.

    #1358886
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Thank you yribs!

    #1358889
    Avram in MD
    Participant

    yribs,

    they should at least get out of miami and as far north and west as they could get.

    A panicked, unplanned evacuation is not a good idea. Given track uncertainty, no part of Florida is necessarily safer than another at this point. If you live in a mobile home, or know that your home is unsafe due to substandard construction, existing damage, etc. then evacuation is necessary. Same if your home is in a mandatory evacuation zone and an evacuation order is issued. These zones are established due to the threat of storm surge inundation, not winds. With precautions taken (putting up storm shutters, having a supply of water and non-perishable food), riding it out if you are not in an evacuation zone and have a safe place to be may be the safest decision. Note that evacuation doesn’t necessarily mean driving hundreds of miles either. It can mean going to a friend or relative’s house that is stronger built or further inland, or as a last resort, going to a hurricane shelter.

    #1358891
    Avram in MD
    Participant

    yribs,

    ok good they should be fine evn witha direct hit

    Explain?

    #1358958
    zahavasdad
    Participant

    Houses built in Florida after 1992 were required to have wooden shutters built in and many built before were retro-fitted with the shutters, You can also use plywood instead of the shutters if you dont have them

    #1358997
    Health
    Participant

    Avram -“Hurricane shutters or plywood placed over the windows can mitigate these dangers”

    During the time of Sandy, I live in Lakewood, one of my Mexican neighbors put up plywood on his windows. No one that I saw in town did that.
    Anyways, Sandy was just a tropical storm in Lakewood. No Biggie!

    #1359095
    r c
    Participant

    avraminmd if they are not in the mandatory evacuation zone and 1 hour north of miami even if miami sees a direct hit (which hopefully it wont) 1 hour north is already much safer.

    #1359187
    Lightbrite
    Participant

    Praying for the best here

    #1359217
    bplady
    Participant

    We should all have extra kavanah when we light the Shabbos candles, and daven for our Yiden.

    #1359230
    r c
    Participant

    models are west of miami which is great news for miami devestating impacts are now expected in SW florida and the keys miami still expected to be hit hard. this forecast could easily change so keep davening.

    #1359240
    Curiosity
    Participant

    The problem with open windows/doors isn’t really the wind blowing in the house, it’s the pressure differential created by the wind going over your roof and around the corners of your home. If your door is open the incoming air also creates high pressure inside that can tear the roof off. Once the roof is gone, the walls are not as structurally sound because they are now only attached on 3 sides instead of 4, so they can more easily collapse, as well. That’s why homes designed for high velocity hurricane zones should have doors that open out from the structure. Good luck and good Shabbos!

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