Professional Investigative Engineers - Articles - Catastrophic Damage

Determination of Hurricane Related Structural Damage and Review of the Code Requirements

no@spam.com (Matthew T. Blackmer, M.S., P.E.) — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 15:27:56 CST

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 4 storm that eventually resulted in a breech of the levee system of New Orleans. Interesting enough almost 13 years ago, the Fall 1992 Invention & Technology magazine published an article regarding the City of New Orleans; “The linchpin of the entire system – pumps, spillways, the works – is the levee.” “Taken with the control structures upstream, the levee system around New Orleans could protect the city from virtually any river flood possible. The levees are also built to take a direct hit from a Category 3 hurricane, the other major natural disaster that the city might have to face. A Category 3 generates twelve-foot tides and 130-miles-per-hour winds. In 1969 Hurricane Camille, with twenty-six-foot tides and 190-mph winds, missed New Orleans by sixty miles.” “At this point a Camille-type hurricane is about the only thing that could overwhelm New Orleans. Although the pumping system wouldn’t be able to save the city from flooding, it would speed drainage and help bring things back to normal. People would die, but the city would not.”

Roof Damage Discoveries from March 2003 Blizzard

no@spam.com (Matthew T. Blackmer, M.S., P.E.) — Thu, 01 Apr 2004 15:30:00 CST

The weight of ice and snow from the March 2003 Denver Metro area snowstorm caused significant damage to many structural components of roof systems, including catastrophic collapse. However, the snowstorm also caused damage to other roofing components. Weight of ice and snow, along with sliding and/or drifting snow, caused damage to the roof coverings and waterproofing characteristics of many roof systems. Damage to the roof coverings and waterproofing typically resulted in water infiltration and water damage claims.

Statistics and Observations on the Colorado Blizzard of 2003

no@spam.com (Matthew T. Blackmer, M.S., P.E.) — Mon, 01 Dec 2003 14:50:19 CST

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This article originally appeared in the December 2003 issue of Claims Quarterly, published by the CPCU Society, Malvern, PA,
www.cpcusociety.org, and is reprinted with permission.