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Florida's construction cranes were designed to withstand Irma. Some did not.
That's right, Irma. This is from 2017.
Post Nation
Florida’s construction cranes were designed to withstand Irma. Some did not.
By Kristine Phillips
September 12, 2017 at 2:10 p.m. EDT
On Sunday afternoon, as Hurricane Irma unleashed destructive winds across South Florida, images of towering cranes were causing panic on social media.
At two construction sites in Miami, crane booms — the long horizontal arms that carry loads and balance the structures — had collapsed, damaging the unfinished towers next to them and sending debris onto the city’s empty streets. One appeared to have been bent, dangling perilously to the side. A similar incident was reported later at another construction site in nearby Fort Lauderdale.
While developers and the contractors in charge of the cranes insisted that they had inspected and secured the structures ahead of Irma’s arrival, exactly why the cranes failed remains unclear. The companies, along with city officials, are investigating the cause.
What is apparent, however, is that the cranes collapsed under winds weaker than what they should have been able to endure. City officials said the roughly two dozen cranes that dot Miami’s developing hot spots are designed to withstand winds of up to 145 mph; as Irma tracked to the west, the city saw gusts of up to 100 mph.
{snip}
By Kristine Phillips
Kristine Phillips covered national and breaking news for The Washington Post. She left The Post in 2019. follow on X @kristinegWP
Florida’s construction cranes were designed to withstand Irma. Some did not.
By Kristine Phillips
September 12, 2017 at 2:10 p.m. EDT
On Sunday afternoon, as Hurricane Irma unleashed destructive winds across South Florida, images of towering cranes were causing panic on social media.
At two construction sites in Miami, crane booms — the long horizontal arms that carry loads and balance the structures — had collapsed, damaging the unfinished towers next to them and sending debris onto the city’s empty streets. One appeared to have been bent, dangling perilously to the side. A similar incident was reported later at another construction site in nearby Fort Lauderdale.
While developers and the contractors in charge of the cranes insisted that they had inspected and secured the structures ahead of Irma’s arrival, exactly why the cranes failed remains unclear. The companies, along with city officials, are investigating the cause.
What is apparent, however, is that the cranes collapsed under winds weaker than what they should have been able to endure. City officials said the roughly two dozen cranes that dot Miami’s developing hot spots are designed to withstand winds of up to 145 mph; as Irma tracked to the west, the city saw gusts of up to 100 mph.
Link to tweet
Link to tweet
{snip}
By Kristine Phillips
Kristine Phillips covered national and breaking news for The Washington Post. She left The Post in 2019. follow on X @kristinegWP