Eco-Block House Survives Tornado: live storm chaser footage

Watch as a home built with Eco-Block encounters a direct hit from a tornado. The Attica, Kansas home survives and is repaired. -courtesy of Storm Stock

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• ICF
• concrete
• home
• survives
• tornado
• hurricane
• direct
• hit
• storm
• chaser
• live
• footage

[Stormm411]

How does your wall system compare in terms of earthquake resistance ? Does its rigidity compromise its ability to withstand the sideways motions caused by earthquakes ?

[EcoBlock]

Eco-Block is normally used in a load-bearing wall configuration. Together with the foundation and floor slab, it forms a structural box which rides the “wave” produced by the rolling moment of an earthquake in one plane. This is much preferable to a post and beam configuration where point may cause one part of the structure to rise and fall differently than others. Builders use us because they can meet earthquake code requirements and still get the style they like (eg large window openings).

[dragonridley]

I guess the rating was correct, strong EF2.

[EcoBlock]

Since the enhanced Fujita (EF) scale doesn't rate actual wind speeds, but their effects, it isn't a particularly good way of comparing building construction methods. An Eco-Block house would survive a tornado or hurricane while its stick-built neighbors would not. A single store might result in an EF5 to a wood house but only an EF1 to and Eco-Block house. We've got pictures of an Eco-Block house hit by Hurricane Katrina that was the only one standing when the winds stopped! All the best.

[zyphoid666]

I've found the EF scale to be a confusing and clusterfucked failure of it's more simple and effective predecessor.

For instance, what if the mythical F6 hit with wind speeds of say, 400 mph but it hit a barren plain and didn't damage a single thing? It's EF0 rating would be ridiculously misleading as to it's potential threat had it lasted long enough to approach structures/people and would altogether falsely classify it as "no big deal".

[EcoBlock]

Yep. Classifying results instead of wind speed does nobody any favors except insurance adjustors who have to estimate losses in communities with "typical" construction.

We have a solid concrete wall, reinforced with steel -- not even an F5 is bringing them down. Check out our other video showing projectiles and their effect on different walls. That video is the perfect demonstration that the same projectile at the same speed has vastly different results with different construction types.

[smeegma]

Love that ICF goodness, now how about a slab roof system to TIE IN to your ICF walls? Maybe a structural steel inner frame to support it?

The roof could make a fine deck.

Wood is for campfires, not houses.

[BitterCanuck]

@zyphoid666 The old system was based off of damage as well, also the tornado in the video was from 2004, 3 years before the Enhanced Fujita scale was introduced.

[dragonridley]

P.S.

I do not intend to undermine the image of your buildings. I have no doubt that such a structure could withstand a much stronger tornado than would most structures, possibly even an EF5.

I merely wish to show that tornadoes are rated as well as they can be with current technology.

In fact, when I purchase my own home I will consider Eco-Block.

[zyphoid666]

That's good, I've always thought houses in tornado alley should be built with steel-reinforced concrete especially considering the risk (or at least a government program should fund an initiative to provide proper tornado shelters constructed of the same materials to the people who live in "the alley" but can't afford such safety measures, it would greatly reduce the risk of injury and/or death).

[EcoBlock]

Agreed. Eco-Block customers are free to choose how they incorporate the product into their project. We will give praise and accolades to any customer whose home gets hit by a tornado--whether they use steel, concrete, wood, or thatched roofs!