Tornado Damage Survey at Moore, Oklahoma

Abstract

On 4 May 1999, the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University dispatched three survey teams to the Oklahoma City area to conduct a tornado damage survey. The author was the leader of one of the teams whose purpose was to survey tornado damage in and around the suburb of Moore, Oklahoma. The survey team was given five tasks: 1) to map out the damage path and assign F-scale numbers to damaged buildings, 2) to document the performance of housing, 3) to interview witnesses, 4) to document projectiles, and 5) to assess the performance of any above- or belowground shelters within the damage path. This paper will present the methodology utilized for conducting the tornado damage survey and will summarize the observations and findings of the survey team. Wind speeds necessary to cause the observed damage to residences were found to be significantly lower than the established F-scale wind speeds. The author returned to the disaster area three months later and discovered that, in general, the quality of new home construction had not improved.