shocked to see their company's building turned into a pile of mangled
steel beams and other rubble as an F-4 tornado ripped through the area.
But what's even more shocking is that they were inside the building when
the storm hit.
About 150 employees at Parsons Manufacturing Co. in Illinois were
shocked to see their company's building turned into a pile of mangled
steel beams and other rubble as an F-4 tornado ripped through the area.
But what's even more shocking is that they were inside the building when
the storm hit.
Thanks to reinforced concrete masonry shelters, all 150 people walked
away from the disaster without a scratch. An F-4 tornado has wind speeds
from 207 to 260 mph.
Winds from the storm leveled the 225,000-square-foot plant and destroyed
at least half a dozen homes nearby.
"We were told over a public address system to head to the three
restrooms, which are made of reinforced concrete masonry and serve as
storm shelters. When we got to the shelters, we could see steel beams
and machinery flying in the air," recalled Dave McClallen, a Parsons
employee.
Woodford County Emergency Services & Disaster Agency volunteer Dustin
Oltman said reports indicated that the storm inflicted the most damage
on the half-mile area in Roanoke, Ill., where Parsons Manufacturing Co.
is located.
Bob Parsons, owner of Parsons Manufacturing, which makes parts for the
construction and mining industries, didn't want to take any chances when
constructing his operation after a near miss of his first business by a
tornado in 1972. When he built an expanded business across the street,
he included reinforced concrete masonry storm shelters inside. He said
that he never could have guessed that decision would save 150 lives 30
years later.
"The storm shelters were so important. They saved all of our lives,"
said Craig Joraanstad, the company's human resources manager. "The most
important thing we hope happens out of this is that more businesses take
storm shelters seriously. Concrete masonry protects lives and property
... 150 people are alive today thanks to those concrete masonry storm
shelters."
The inherent strength of reinforced concrete masonry makes it an
excellent choice to withstand wind-borne debris - the largest threat to
occupants in these storms, said Dennis Graber, an engineer on the staff
of the National Concrete Masonry Association in Herndon, Va.
"Researchers at the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at
Texas Tech University demonstrated this fact at a wind projectile test
in September 2003," Graber said. "In that test, solid grouted 8- and
6-inch reinforced concrete masonry wall panels withstood the
standardized FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] test of
15-pound, 2 by 4 projectiles shot at 100 mph, which is representative of
debris in a 250-mph tornado."
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