[Towertalk] Towers in Hurricanes

[Joe Subich, K4IK]

> Are commercial towers for tv and radio etc. built for something 
> like that down there or does everyone keep their fingers crossed 
> and stay out of the way downwind of the towers and get the heck 
> out of town?  I can't imagine building a tall tower that could 
> survive an extended blast of cat. 5 hurricane.  Just wondering.

Two or three of the TV broadcast towers in Miami came down during 
Andrew.  I know the WTVJ (then WCIX) tower came down on top of the 
transmitter building trapping a couple of engineers for a couple 
days (nobody was injured).  In addition, I have visited the then 
Director of Engineering at WPLG and he keeps a four foot section 
of the ladder from the Channel 10 tower in a corner of his office 
... it is twisted, corkscrew fashion, more than 90 degrees in 
that length.    

TV towers in Florida are generally designed in excess of 130 MPH 
and more in coastal areas.  I don't know if the new towers in 
Miami were designed for 160+ MPH ... a category five hurricane 
is a once in a lifetime event (I hope!). 

73, 

   ... Joe, K4IK