Virginia Tech Engineers and Hurricanes

Though I am a graduate of the University of Virginia, I doff my had to engineers from Virginia Tech this morning. They've invented a simple, inexpensive and practical solution to a major problem increasingly occurring thanks to severe weather.

Hurricanes often lift the roofs off buildings and expose them to havoc and damaging conditions, even after the worst of the wind has passed. A local roofer, Virginia Tech faculty members from architecture and engineering, and a graduate student have devised an inexpensive vent that can reduce roof uplift on buildings during high winds, even a hurricane.
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The physics is the Venturi effect. You know – wind forced through an opening speeds up. Covered porches create a breeze. Winds blow harder through mountain passes and between city buildings. Cars at any speed split the air, so when you crack the car window to get rid of cigarette smoke, the lower pressure outside sucks the smoke out the window.

Sitting at their kitchen table about six years ago, the Johnson brothers asked, “What if we could split the wind blowing over a roof and create a vacuum to suck the roof down instead of up?”

The result was V2T. - ScienceDaily and Virginia Tech

Basically, a simple and inexpensive plastic vent set upon the roof of a house can help use the wind's force itself to press the roof onto the house in severe storms. Considering the impact of severe weather on Virginians who often cannot afford sufficient insurance, these vents may be a godsend to people who might otherwise find their homes irreparably damaged by hurricanes and wind.

Well done Tech!

If you want to lend a hand helping the victims of the Southside tornadoes, you can donate to the American Red Cross disaster relief fund.