Researchers from Florida International University and other institutions are testing manufactured homes against hurricane-force winds in the hopes of gathering data that could save lives.
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The testing at FIU’s Wall of Wind, the nation’s only hurricane research facility capable of reaching 150 mph winds, is taking place throughout May. On Wednesday, NBC6’s cameras will capture how a manufactured home stacked up against 12 fans with the power to simulate a category 5 hurricane.
Researchers are starting with winds of 110 mph at 8 a.m. Then they plan to increase the wind speed to 130 mph followed by 150 mph.
The purpose of the testing
Officials said the testing focuses on manufactured homes, which “still make up more than eight percent of the nation’s housing stock.”
These homes are the first to be evacuated during hurricane watches and warnings, a news release reads.
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“The big thing with manufactured homes is that they are governed by a different building code system overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). And this building code has not been updated for 32 years,” Dr. Elaina Sutley, a researchers from the University of Kansas, said before the experiment. “Meanwhile, we’ve made tremendous advances in wind engineering and science, and we’d like to see those changes implemented.”
How much wind should the home be able to withstand?
The manufactured home being tested on Wednesday was installed to a Wind Zone 3 standard, which is the requirement in Miami-Dade County.
According to StateFarm, this is the highest safety rating, and homes installed to this caliber should be able to withstand windspeeds of 110 mph.
However, researchers say there are already concerns that the home will come apart “sooner than expected based on low-speed testing alone.”
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Testing begins at 8 a.m.
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.