Nature’s fury, as they call it, comes in a wide variety of forms, most of which pose a threat to property and lives alike. Earthquakes along fault lines may rattle buildings and shatter streets, while avalanches may bury a community and hurricanes may devastate coastal areas. While there is no way to prevent natural disasters like these from happening, modern scientists and engineers are hard at work finding ways to minimize the damage. Meteorologists and geologists can predict when and where these phenomena may occur, and that makes it easier to evacuate the people living there, or at least issue warnings. And while buildings cannot be moved out of the way too, many of today’s buildings are engineered with disasters in mind. A good example of this is sliding glass door manufacturers in Florida, who provide hurricane glass windows, hurricane impact doors, and more to local contractors to install in buildings. These sliding glass door manufacturers may also provide for construction crews in the Caribbean, since hurricane proof sliding doors are just as important there. A construction manager may go online to look up these sliding glass door manufacturers during a project to find wholesale supplies.

What to Know About Hurricanes

Hurricanes are among the most powerful storms on planet earth, and while there is no way to prevent or redirect them, meteorologists are doing their best to track and study these storms to make future storm warnings more accurate. After all, even small hurricanes are quite powerful and can deliver strong winds, flood waters, and more. Overall, a total of 158 different hurricanes struck the United States in the 20th century, and among them, 57 struck Florida in particular (26 of them, meanwhile, hit the Texas coast). Of all these 20th century hurricanes, one of the most devastating was Hurricane Andrew, which arrived in Miami in 1992. This category 5 hurricane dealt extensive damage and demonstrated how hurricanes can even spawn tornadoes during their lifetime. Hurricane Andrew, in particular, spawned 62 different tornadoes.

Meanwhile, studies and trends suggest that now in the 21st century, hurricanes are becoming even more powerful and frequent than ever, and many experts attribute this trend to climate change. After all, warm ocean waters create hurricanes. At the very least, Hurricane Irma serves as evidence of such a trend, as Irma stands as the most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record. This mammoth storm had an incredible seven trillion watts of energy, and it boasted 185 MPH winds for 37 hours. This hurricane devastated Puerto Rico and damaged 90% of the buildings in Barbuda, leaving 60% of the people there homeless. And it is possible that a hurricane of this high caliber may strike again, so sliding glass door manufacturers and window manufacturers are preparing, as are construction crews in the Caribbean and the Florida coast.

Limiting Hurricane Damage

Modern engineers and construction crews are used to seeing hurricanes arrive in Florida and other coasts, so measures are taken to limit the damage. Levees can help contain rising flood waters and elevated foundations can allow flood water to pass right under buildings. Meanwhile, sliding glass door manufacturers and window companies often make glass that is fitted into glass door systems and window frames, and specialized glaze on that glass allows it to endure hurricane winds. A glaze system of +105/-130 allows a window or sliding glass door to endure winds over 100 MPH in strength, and flying debris may bounce right off that glass. After all, while a large building’s windows are a liability during a hurricane, it is not an option to simply omit them. Construction crews building a skyscraper, hotel, or apartment will order and install hurricane proof windows and sliding glass doors, and this may limit property damage when a storm hits.

If windows break during a hurricane, that will send glass shards flying everywhere, shredding the building’s interior. That, and the broken window will allow winds and rain to get in, causing extensive damage. Similarly, wooden or metal hurricane shutters can protect windows from drastic air pressure changes as a hurricane passes over. Some buildings in Florida may make good use of that shutter technology.