Meet Jenny the Disaster Dog in Moore -Air Force One Flyover and Ron Mott

Today I got to meet Ron Mott of NBC - and "Jenny" the disaster dog that is used to reduce stress on survivors. All of us somehow ended up at the same spot at the same time. 

Ron Mott was so NICE. Told him how we love watching him and Brian with his dry humor...Then as we talked Air Force One flew right passed us!

We all ran and tried to take a photo of it, but the skies were gray and the Big Beautiful 747 was flying fast on its way to Tinker AFB, which is right next to my hotel.

In the photo below I shot Ron shooting Jenny the wonder dog.  She was so sweet - she would go in a circle and hit on every one of us. It worked on us for sure. LOL. Her handler had come in from Dallas - they do this for all disasters, she said.

 I was doing survey photos of the damage for material for my upcoming Armor Glass book and came across the NBC crew...

 I had to get my own shot with Jenny (above)...

 Then it was back to the survey - some more blown out windows at the Moore Medical Center...I keep thinking how our security film would have at least kept the glass from being thousands of shards flying through the air. One girl on TV described how things kept hitting her as she covered up a child - all with debris falling on their heads.

 ...And I found this yellow car UNDER these steel beams. I was told nothing had been touched since the tornado--this is how it looked the minute after the storm.

 Then we went over to the National Memorial where the Murrah Federal building had stood - until destroyed by a truck full of ammonium nitrate in 1995 was deliberately set off - killing even the kids pictured below who were in a day care center on the 2nd floor of that building.
161 died. An American terrorist, Tim McVeigh, bombing a federal building that included a day care center. I heard the recording of a hearing going on across the street that morning that captured the sound of the blast. It sounded like hell erupting. It was just a normal day until someone acted on hate...

 Below, a photo of a couple survivors from the 1995 Oklahoma bombing. What struck me was how similar the devastation from a truck bomb looked to a tornado direct hit. I see a pattern developing.

Today in Moore OK people told us how much they appreciated the President coming as well as the volunteers from other states who just showed up and helped...They always thanked us for coming.

I told them that's what we do as AMERICANS - we help each other in time of crisis.

Subscribe for Armor Glass blog updates. More photos are being processed and will be released as available.

More MOORE OKLAHOMA Tornado Damage Photos..

 Here are some additional photos taken by Armor Glass at Moore OK - while there isn't much one can do about an EF5 Tornado - only 18 of those have been recorded - it shows the need to harden our structures against Mother Nature's fury....easily breached windows lead to internal pressures that blow buildings apart, as you can see in these pictures.

 The photos also show WHY you don't get protection hiding in a car during a tornado...

The TV crews are set up behind what's left of this building...
For updates "Subscribe" or "Follow" this Armor Glass blog...more to come.

Photos of Damages from an EF5 Tornado...Moore OK

 I delivered supplies to a disaster center in Moore, Oklahoma today - then volunteered to help clean up. Then I had some time and did a photo survey of the damage - to help determine what happened to these buildings.

By the way, they didn't need any WATER. They were happy to get the gatorade, fix a flat, gas cans and cooler. At this point, please don't send stuff - they had it stacked up EVERYWHERE. Here is the story link:
http://www.npr.org/2013/05/25/186536789/please-no-more-clothes-okla-asks-for-monetary-donations

The destructive power of this EF5 was probably beyond any current technology to protect - notice that there are holes even in solid concrete walls! Thankfully, the actual number of EF5 tornadoes in our history is small.

"More" Photos from Moore OK coming. It is part of our continuing Armor Glass study of causes of building destruction - and technologies to harden our structures to avoid it. Subscribe to stay tuned to developments and new photos from MOORE...

2013 Hurricane Season - NOAA Says "Above Average"

NOAA predicts that "an above normal and possibly an extremely active hurricane season with a range of 13 to 20 named storms," seven to 11 of which are forecast to turn into hurricanes and three to six of which are forecast to turn into major hurricanes, said Kathryn Sullivan, acting NOAA administrator.

It goes on to say: "Several climate factors are contributing to the upcoming season being busier, forecasters said.

"These factors include a continuation of the climate pattern that has been responsible for the ongoing era of high activity in the Atlantic that began in 1995; warmer than average sea-surface temperatures across the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea; and near-normal, year-average seasonal temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean, which means El Nino ... is not expected to develop and suppress hurricane formation this hurricane season," Sullivan said.
Atlantic hurricane season lasts for six months, typically peaking between late August and mid-October.
"This year, oceanic and atmospheric conditions in the Atlantic basin are expected to produce more and stronger hurricanes," said Gerry Bell, Ph.D.

Check the link for details. As we have seen with the tornadoes in Oklahoma, Tropical Storm Sandy, etc. preparation in advance can save your property and lives.

Windows are the weakest link of every building - one hole from windborne debris causes internal pressure that produces uplift on the roof, which not only allows rain damage but collapse of the building.

SWARMED...

We did a trade show Saturday and were SWARMED by nearly 500 people - including a couple who wanted installation TODAY because they were going out of town and wanted their home Secure - apparently a LOT of break ins in their HIGH End area.

So I have been on the road, which is good. Taking care of people is No. 1 priority...

How the Moore Hospital Could Have Been Saved from Tornado...

Our thoughts and prayers are for the residents of Oklahoma who have been hit by a devastating massive tornado with winds of 200 mph - one of the most destructive forces of Mother Nature.

But is it possible to reduce deaths and injuries by using a relatively new technology that would protect every buildings' weakest link?  If so, how would it protect people?

There is such a technology.  To understand it, you have to understand what happens in a killer storm that makes them destroy buildings.

The Moore Oklahoma tornado hit its hospital as well as a high school being used as a tornado shelter. Here is a photo of what the Moore hospital looked like after it was hit:

Notice the bare vertical frames - that is where glass is normally. Notice there is not a single pane of glass visible.

Tornadoes are basically tight hurricanes. Discover how hurricanes destroy and you have a clue how tornadoes destroy.

"Project Safe Windows" was a study made after four hurricanes hit Florida in 2004. It investigated the cause of structural failure. How could one house survive while another next to it was totally destroyed?

The culprit: Wind-borne debris. Glass will flex up to a point in wind but once debris is hurled against it in high winds, glass will shatter, breaking the building seal-- and allowing high speed winds to enter inside. Once inside the winds are trying to exit by pushing against the roof and the walls, basically exploding it apart. Ask an architect - buildings are designed to withstand external pressures, not internal. Once wind is inside from a hole in a window, you also have glass shrapnel and rain damage as the winds tear things apart.

Project Safe Windows" also discovered that the houses that survived had window coverings - keeping the building sealed. Any kind of covering worked - whether it was shutters impact glass or Security Window Film. (The least costly of these options is the last one --shutters and impact glass costs 3 to 10 times more per sq. ft.)

Tornadoes act like hurricanes - swirling high speed winds hurling debris from objects it strikes on the ground--shingles, signs, rocks, you name it.

When the windows are hit, they blow in, spraying deadly glass shards and allowing the winds to enter inside, pushing off the roof and collapsing the walls. Had the glass on the Moore High School and Moore Hospital had Security Film bonded to the frames there is a good chance that they would have survived the storm - or had significantly less damage and injuries.  The following is a photo of what one hospital windows looked like after surviving Hurricane Charley in Florida - broken glass contained in Security Film - still in the frame, still keeping out wind, rain, debris...

And the following photo is what made the difference....

That clear film is 8 Mil SECURITY/SAFETY Film being installed at the University of Houston General Services building in 2008 - just before Hurricane IKE hit in September of that year - protecting its Computer servers, etc. It is rated for a Large Missile impact (4.5 lb. Level C) and even a Level 2 explosion. We bond it to the frames with a special structural sealant to give it more support.

And the following photos is that film being installed on a ward for premature babies at Sparrow Hospital by Armor Glass in Lansing Michigan in 2012...

Technology does make a difference in our lives. We should use it to "harden" our buildings' weakest link to protect people and property. This is not to say that even our technology would protect from a direct hit of a E5 tornado, but it would provide vastly more protection than what buildings have now - which is NO protection on their glass.

This carbon negative product (meaning it saves more energy than it takes to make) would also pay for itself in ENERGY SAVINGS while protecting people. What is better than that? We have put it on buildings at Rice University, Cola Cola, UH, astronauts homes, banks, schools, and retired teachers.

Again, our condolences to all the families who lost loved ones, not just in Moore, Oklahoma, but also in Grandbury, TX, Joplin, MO -- and a long list of other communities threatened by tornadoes, hurricanes (Katrina, Sandy, IKE etc), explosions (West, Texas) and human intrusions (burglars).

Let's learn from these disasters and take actions to prevent and reduce injuries and deaths by "armoring your glass" before the next tragic event.

That is our best contribution to a better, safer world.

Watch a 2 minute video that shows how it works.
Armor Glass
www.ArmorGlass.com