Wind damage to Miami buildings
by hurricane Wilma

A collection of pics from SSC forumers, emails, media and friends





1221 Brickell Avenue

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/2810/1221brickellave019ob.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/9193/1221brickellave020kn.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/2659/1221brickellave04s8nz.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/1945/1221brickellave05s9oe.jpg



Colonial Bank

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/2594/colonialbank029jg.jpg

http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/4300/colonialbank038jw.jpg

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/7782/colonialbank048wv.jpg

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/7215/colonialbank05s8ni.jpg



Espiritu Santo

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/7035/espiritusanto011fp.jpg

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/2254/espiritusanto027mf.jpg

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/3409/espiritusanto063fh.jpg

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/7787/espiritusanto07s9ji.jpg



Four Seasons

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/8484/fourseasons016sp.jpg

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/2339/fourseasons029hf.jpg

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/174/fourseasons03s8yh.jpg



JW Marriott

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/8258/jwmarriott017ev.jpg

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/5713/jwmarriott028zj.jpg



:)



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Interesting pictures. There was also damage in Downtown especially in the vicinity of S. Biscayne Blvd.

Is that storm surge or just flooding?

Some of the buildings don't look like the windows were blown out.Any reports of a tornado?

Is that storm surge or just flooding?

Some of the buildings don't look like the windows were blown out.Any reports of a tornado?

Is it storm surge. Look at the time, only 4 hours after the hurricane passed. And I keep hearing there was a tornado around the Brickell area due to the extensive damage.

:)

I drove by the Brickell area and Downtown on Thursday afternoon. I could not believe the amount of damage to some of the buildings. The black tower with the huge antenna had damage near the top on its west side. The new buildings held up rather well. Jade, One Miami, and BOR.

I think it was a tornado,just by the pattern of the broken windows and were most of the damage was.

i dont think it was a tornado. What are the odds that the only two places in all of south florida to get hit by tornados are a few buildings in downtown Fort Lauderdale and a few buildings in one section of Brickell? Also keep in mind that the storm hit during daylight hours and no tornados were spotted in the area.

That's stupid hurricane. :ohno:

I thought it won't bad as like 1992 Andrew Hurricane.

any body see this building in South Beach? Its on Alton and about 6 street, and got pretty bad damage on its western side.
http://img289.imageshack.us/img289/2411/img36372hx.jpg

My friend's Miami villa got about 15 grand worth of damage.

Heartbreaking. Damn hurricane.

That's stupid hurricane. :ohno:

I thought it won't bad as like 1992 Andrew Hurricane.


it wasnt... a good amount of buildings got some damage, nothing terribly serious on a grand scale (granted, some shitty apartment buildings were condemned cause of roof damage cause all the rain)...

after andrew... homestead just wasnt there anymore
after wilma... some buildings lost some glass

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/111305/09.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/111305/10.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/111305/11.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/111305/12.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/111305/14.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/111305/15.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/111305/16.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/111305/20.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/111305/23.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/111305/24.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/111305/27.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/111305/28.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/111305/29.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/111305/26.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/111305/30.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/111305/31.jpg

MIAballinboi, impressive pics. Hard to believe !! Kind of sad...

:)

Thnx don, well nothing 2 be thankful for,

well most of the towers had little to no damage, one broadway didnt have a scratch, and jade made it good, plus some of these construction sites werent bad.

I drove by Brickell that same day. It was complete chaos. Brickell was full of trees down, broken windows, and water. I managed to take some pictures.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/bhk24/HurricaneWilma009.jpg



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/bhk24/HurricaneWilma010.jpg



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/bhk24/HurricaneWilma015.jpg



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/bhk24/b7287604.jpg



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/bhk24/5aa8a627.jpg




http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/bhk24/1d497df2.jpg

first off i gotta admit my vocabulary is poor.I was born and raised in Miami in hard times so you gotta feel me.I spell bad point blank.Thats why im a truck driver and not an architect that i should have been.I do make more than many architects so I cant say I feel bad.Back on the subject.yes it is a slight possibility it was a tornado because there are ussally several tornados in hurricanes.I still do not beleive it was a tornado because of the simple fact Hurricane gusts are just as strong as a tornado.The fact is a cat 3,4,5, is just like a tornado only 100 times bigger.The most likeley reason for the glass failior is poor inspection and dishonest contractors.It is also possible wind tunnels played a role.You have to take into consideration all hurrricanes are different regardless of size and strength.Hurricanes have differend wind gusts in different areas.Wilma was a low 2 or a strong 1 in Miami and a low 2 in broward.However hurricanes are much more complicated some more than others.Wilma definetly had a strange pattern in wind gusts than most hurricanes.Most hurricanes like andrew have the strongest winds closest to the eye.Wilma seemed to have more unpredictable windspeeds close and far from the eye.Probably because of its size and the size of the eye.It had an eye much larger than most hurricanes which resulted in more wide spread damage.In a smaller eye you will have worse damage but limmited to a certian area.for example andrew its worst was from florida city to southern kendall but in wilma it was in parts of kendall parts of downtown Miami parts of avertura west palm beach and ft lauderdale.Its very hard to explaid but the bigger the eye the more wide spread the smaller the eye the more intence.Andrew was much stronger.a catagory 5 only three catagory 5,s have ever hit U.S. land in the past 120 years.including andrew in 92, camille in 69, and the 1935 labor day hurricane that hit the florida keys before they started naming hurricanes.In no way does wilma compare with andrew.Andrew was like a mike tyson of storms but Wilma was wide spread.It is possible to have a hurricane like andrew and as wide spread as wilma.

first off i gotta admit my vocabulary is poor.I was born and raised in Miami in hard times so you gotta feel me.I spell bad point blank.Thats why im a truck driver and not an architect that i should have been.I do make more than many architects so I cant say I feel bad.Back on the subject.yes it is a slight possibility it was a tornado because there are ussally several tornados in hurricanes.I still do not beleive it was a tornado because of the simple fact Hurricane gusts are just as strong as a tornado.The fact is a cat 3,4,5, is just like a tornado only 100 times bigger.The most likeley reason for the glass failior is poor inspection and dishonest contractors.It is also possible wind tunnels played a role.You have to take into consideration all hurrricanes are different regardless of size and strength.Hurricanes have differend wind gusts in different areas.Wilma was a low 2 or a strong 1 in Miami and a low 2 in broward.However hurricanes are much more complicated some more than others.Wilma definetly had a strange pattern in wind gusts than most hurricanes.Most hurricanes like andrew have the strongest winds closest to the eye.Wilma seemed to have more unpredictable windspeeds close and far from the eye.Probably because of its size and the size of the eye.It had an eye much larger than most hurricanes which resulted in more wide spread damage.In a smaller eye you will have worse damage but limmited to a certian area.for example andrew its worst was from florida city to southern kendall but in wilma it was in parts of kendall parts of downtown Miami parts of avertura west palm beach and ft lauderdale.Its very hard to explaid but the bigger the eye the more wide spread the smaller the eye the more intence.Andrew was much stronger.a catagory 5 only three catagory 5,s have ever hit U.S. land in the past 120 years.including andrew in 92, camille in 69, and the 1935 labor day hurricane that hit the florida keys before they started naming hurricanes.In no way does wilma compare with andrew.Andrew was like a mike tyson of storms but Wilma was wide spread.It is possible to have a hurricane like andrew and as wide spread as wilma.

sorry for the double post please forgive me. that was a mistake.Im just here to help and give valuable information.The eye of the hurricane as most of you probably know is the calm part but the area just outside around the eye is the most intense part.Its called the eyewall.Usually but not always the smaller the eye the stronger the eyewall.However the larger the eye the wider spread the damage.The eye wall of the hurricane is the most damaging and intence and it varies ussally between 3 -6 hours sometimes more. but the hurricane itself lasts for between 9 hours all the way up to three days.so the reality is there is almost no limit on a worst case senerial hurricane.In other words a catagory five the size of wilma moving slow or sationary could bring us winds of 75-130 mph of three days and 180 mph winds for 6 hours with gusts of 320 mph or more as a 320 mph gust was recorded in andrew when the wind meter broke.Sorry I will stop I wont go on anymore any questions just ask.

oh keep in mind wilmas sustained winds in Miami where only around 90 mph gusting to 110 but could have been much stronger in some places.Its impossible to record wind speeds in every area.

Don't forget in downtown areas, where buildings are next to each other, large air masses squeezing between a small crack increases the air speed substantially. Those 110 gusts were probably between 150-200mph between buildings, creating a huge vacuum effect. Its called a Venturi Effect.

LCB good point but i would'nt say they where that strong. I beleave the gusts where more like 120 mph trust me thats enough to make a huge difference.The upper floors however could have gotten winds of 130 mph.the higher the structure the stronger the winds.I have seen what 200 mph gusts did in andrew 200 mph gusts would not have just taken out windows they would have taken out the top several floors or worse.in Andrew entire concrete block low rise apartment buildings where blown to bitts reduced to rubble.yes flatened out on the floor nothing but bricks splinters and twisted medal.some cars were unrecnisable.Railroad tracts and even some streets where torn out of the ground.It truly does look like a bomb but a bomb that takes out a 30 mile wide area and leaves major damage for another hundred miles.Many people dont realise wilma was just a toy compared to the real thing.These so called storms are alot meaner than many new comers can even imagine.I survived by gettin in a lower kitchin cabinet during andrew.The building I was in was almost completely destroyed. in wilma i just lost one window and some shingles.still scary but no comparison.sure wilma howled but andrew screamed its lungs out !!!!!Stay here long enough and you will see what a hurricane is really like.

LCB good point but i would'nt say they where that strong. I beleave the gusts where more like 120 mph trust me thats enough to make a huge difference.The upper floors however could have gotten winds of 130 mph.the higher the structure the stronger the winds.I have seen what 200 mph gusts did in andrew 200 mph gusts would not have just taken out windows they would have taken out the top several floors or worse.in Andrew entire concrete block low rise apartment buildings where blown to bitts reduced to rubble.yes flatened out on the floor nothing but bricks splinters and twisted medal.some cars were unrecnisable.Railroad tracts and even some streets where torn out of the ground.It truly does look like a bomb but a bomb that takes out a 30 mile wide area and leaves major damage for another hundred miles.Many people dont realise wilma was just a toy compared to the real thing.These so called storms are alot meaner than many new comers can even imagine.I survived by gettin in a lower kitchin cabinet during andrew.The building I was in was almost completely destroyed. in wilma i just lost one window and some shingles.still scary but no comparison.sure wilma howled but andrew screamed its lungs out !!!!!Stay here long enough and you will see what a hurricane is really like.Bottom line no building does well in a direct hit of a 4 or 5 hurricane.

sorry again i did not mean to double post.

Hurricane season is hear again I wounder how many are going to hit us this year?