Are the buildings we occupy safe when overly strong winds or tornadoes strike?
By Ruth Wood-Steed After our recent turbulent spring, it is natural to wonder how safe we are in the buildings in which we live and work. Although this year brought a seemingly large number of storms, the National Weather Service attributes only 11 significant weather events or an average of 1.5 per year to the area since 1994. Only four of those were attributed to severe weather, tornadoes or severe thunderstorms; the rest were floods. But the question still remains. Are the buildings we occupy safe when overly strong winds or tornadoes do strike? Jerry Rombach, executive officer of the Home Builders Association of Greater Southwest Illinois, says that residential buildings constructed since adoption of the 1996 National Building Code are fairly safe. Very few injuries or deaths have occurred in new residential construction. Residential and small commercial buildings are similar in level of safety; larger commercial buildings are a bit safer. But the greatest degree of safety is found
