Читать книгу Disaster Response and Recovery - David A. McEntire - Страница 45

The collapse of structures is another potentially deadly hazard. Structural collapses are hazards that occur when gravity and poor engineering interact and result in the failure of buildings, roads or other construction projects. These collapses may include the breaking of dams and dykes or the crashing down of buildings. As an example, there have been numerous dam failures throughout the history of the United States, including those in Johnstown, Pennsylvania (1889); Buffalo Creek, West Virginia (1972); and Teton, Idaho (1976). The failure of dikes and retaining devices also occurred in the 1993 Midwest floods and after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Thousands of lives, considerable property and large amounts of infrastructure have been lost due to such hazards.

Structural failures are not limited to water retaining devices alone, however. Buildings, parking garages and bridges have also suffered from problematic engineering, inadequate construction and improper use. For instance, poor design, insufficient steel reinforcement, and an improper mix of concrete resulted in a building collapse in Kuala Lumpur in 1968 (Aini et al., 2005). The event killed 7 people and injured 11 others. But, this collapse was minimal as compared to others that have occurred. In 1995, the Sampoong Department Store collapsed in Seoul, Korea. This structure was built quickly during a construction spree prior to the 1988 Summer Olympics. The mall was located on an existing landfill and lacked sufficient support columns and crossbeams. Warning signs (i.e., cracks in the structure) became visible and experts noted that the building was at risk of collapse. A leader of Sampoong refused to request an evacuation. The collapse occurred a short time later. It killed 502 people and injured over 900 more.

Two notable structural failures in the United States include the 1981 Hyatt Skywalk collapse and the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse. While a dance was held in the Hyatt hotel atrium, a suspended walkway broke loose from and this killed over 100 people as it fell to the floor. In spite of concerns raised about land subsidence and cracks in support columns, no renovations were made at the Surfside Condominium. 98 people died when a portion of the 12‐story building crashed to the ground. Sadly, these collapses occur when construction is not taken seriously.

Another structural failure occurred in August 2007 over the Mississippi River near Minneapolis. During rush hour traffic, the I‐35W bridge suddenly gave way due to what is speculated as a design flaw. The bridge and cars plummeted to the river below. Nearly 150 people were injured and 13 were killed. In May 2013, a parking structure that was under construction collapsed at Montgomery Mall in Maryland. This event left one person dead and another injured. Structural failures are often fatal, and they are very costly too (Figure 1‐7).

In similar fashion, a pedestrian bridge at Florida International University gave way and fell to the road below. The collapse, which occurred on March 16, 2018, crushed cars and killed six individuals. After an investigation, it was determined that design errors were to blame for this failure. And, on September 12, 2020, a parking structure in Atlanta partially collapsed while it was under construction; 10 floors pancaked to the ground and resulted in a pile of concrete and a big cloud of dust. Although only one person was injured in the event, it also illustrated how serious structural collapses can be.

Figure 1‐7 The aftermath of the I‐35W bridge collapse is seen in this picture from Minneapolis, MN. Todd Swain/FEMA. http://www.fema.gov/media‐library/assets/images/51546