As we all know, the U.S. Gulf and East coasts are vulnerable to
hurricanes. Hurricane-induced economic losses have increased
steadily in the U.S. during the past 50 years with estimated annual
losses (in constant 2006 dollars) averaging $1.3 billion from
1949-89, $10.1 billion from 1990-95 and $35.8 billion per year
during 2001-05, according to the National Science Board, which
oversees and establishes policies for the National Science
Foundation within the framework of policies set forth by the
president and Congress.
Recent hurricane activity, especially the New Orleans disaster
in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, has focused public attention on
our vulnerability to hurricanes. The devastation caused by recent
hurricanes demonstrates the need for mitigation tools that can
significantly reduce losses.
To address these problems, current research at Florida
International University (FIU) in Miami is enabling full-scale
testing of entire structures, leading to performance-based design
for hurricanes through direct correlation of wind speed with...
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