Modern buildings in the United States are often engineered to endure and survive hazards typical of their region, and to protect the lives and property inside of them, too. On the American east coast, especially Florida, buildings face the annual threat of hurricanes. These powerful cyclones cannot be prevented or diverted, but “Nature’s fury,” as it is called, can be predicted and prepared for. While a hurricane cannot be forcibly dissolved or weakened, buildings that stand in hurricane-prone areas may have hurricane glass doors, high impact windows, and more to endure these storms. Hurricane proof sliding doors are no ordinary glass doors; they have a particular glaze on them to endure a hurricane’s winds, rain, and wind-tossed debris. Impact glass doors and windows are often installed on commercial buildings such as apartments, hotels, condos, and office buildings. A building owner may also perform an Internet search to find contractors for such windows such as “impact glass doors miami” or “impact glass doors miami for hotels”. Entering a query such as this allows a building owner to get such windows installed if their building does not already have them.
The Power of Hurricanes
What sort of natural power are these impact windows and glass doors designed to endure? These storms are quite powerful, and may appear in the hurricane season ranging from roughly June through November. Even smaller hurricanes may feature strong and persistent winds, heavy rains and floods, and wind-blown debris of varying sizes. Such storms may last for hours or even a day and a half in some cases, and they may go several miles inland before they naturally dissipate. The category system is used to measure hurricanes’ strength, with a category 5 being much more powerful than a category 1 storm.
Throughout the 20th century, some 158 hurricanes total struck the United States, and Florida alone received the most, at 57 total. Texas had the second highest hurricane count, at 26, during that 100-year time frame. Just one hurricane may stir up millions of miles of air and create an astonishing 2.4 trillion gallons of ran water each day. What is more, sometimes hurricanes may spawn tornadoes as well, and in 1992, Hurricane Andrew created around 62 of them before it dissipated. Such tornadoes may even appear days after the hurricane’s landfall. And it may be noted that in recent years, hurricanes have become even more powerful and frequent, possibly due to ongoing climate change. In 2017 alone, ten different storms in a row developed into hurricanes, a feat that has not occurred since 1893.
Hurricane Irma, meanwhile, strands as the most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record. This record-breaking mega-storm held seven trillion watts of energy, and it damaged 90% of all buildings on Barbuda (and thus leaving 60% of the population homeless). This category 5 storm boasted wind speeds around 185 MPH, and it lasted for 37 hours total. Not all hurricanes have that level of power, but even so, small hurricanes warrant the installation of hurricane-resistant glass doors and windows.
Hurricane Proof Buildings
Contractors on the Florida coast are aware of the power and frequency of hurricanes, and they will install windows and glass doors to match. An interested building owner may look up local contractors, such as “impact glass doors miami” or even “install new impact glass doors miami” if they buy an older building that lacks the proper windows. If a building lacks hurricane-resistant windows and glass doors, then during a storm, the hurricane’s winds and wind-blown debris may bast windows apart. This sprays sharp glass everywhere, and the intruding winds and rain may cause great damage inside the building. Therefore, a proper line of defense is impact-resistant windows and glass doors.
These specialized windows and doors will have an impact-resistant glazing system of +105/-130, meaning that it can endure hurricane force winds exceeding 100 MPH without breaking. These windows may also endure wind-blown debris striking them without breaking. These windows are not truly indestructible, but the owner may ask contractors about the windows’ ratings and see what level of trauma they can survive without breaking apart.