- Author
- Marshall, R. D.
- Title
- Performance of Structures in Hurricane Hugo.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- NIST SP 796, September 1990,
- Distribution
- Available from Government Printing Office
- Book or Conf
- U.S./Japan Natural Resources Development Program (UJNR). Wind and Seismic Effects. Joint Meeting of the U.S./Japan Cooperative Program in Natural Resources Panel on Wind and Seismic Effects, 22nd. May 15-18, 1990, Gaithersburg, MD, Raufaste, N. J., Jr., Editors, 434-444 p., 1990
- Keywords
- buildings | building codes | damage | hurricanes | tropical cyclone | wind | wind speed
- Abstract
- Surface wind speeds and damage to structures during the passage of Hurricane Hugo through the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are described. Because of the scarcity of actual wind speed records and observations, it was necessary to resort to other indicators of surface wind speed such as reconnaissance aircraft data and intensity of damage. Maximum wind speeds on St. Croix corresponded to a mean recurrence interval of approximately 300 years, making Hugh one of the more intense hurricanes of the century. On St. Thomas and over northeastern Purerto Rico the wind speeds were equal to or less than the 50-year wind speed for this region of the Caribbean. Damage in the affected areas was extensive, in particular those areas exposed to the northeastern quadrant of the storm. The structural behavior of certain highrise and single-story buildings under overall wind loading was good. However, more attention needs to be given to the attachment of nonstructural elements such as doors, windows, and cladding. Seismic Effects was held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology from May 15-18, 1990. This publication, the proceedings of the Joint Meeting, includes the program, list of members, panel resolutions, task committee reports, and 33 technical papers. The papers were presented under six themes: (I) Wind Engineering, (II) Storm Surge and Tsunami, (III) Joint Cooperative Research Program, (IV) Earthquake Engineering, (V) Loma Prieta Earthquake, and (VI) Summaries of Task Committee Workshop Reports.