Oregon State Simulates Hurricanes on Flood-Standard Homes to Improve Coastal Resilience

Oregon State University's Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory is conducting scaled experiments to test how homes built to 100-year and 500-year flood standards withstand hurricane and tsunami-like waves. Using miniature houses modeled after those damaged by Florida's Hurricane Ian in 2022, researchers aim to understand building vulnerabilities and improve coastal construction resilience. The 100-year flood standard home, with a higher flood risk, began to fail under sustained wave heights over 3 feet, providing valuable data on structural weaknesses. This research benefits not only areas like Florida but also Oregon’s coastal communities, which face storm surges and tsunami threats, by informing building codes and safer construction practices. The lab, the largest tsunami basin in the world, attracts international interest and supports engineers nationwide in preparing homes for extreme weather events. Director Pedro Lomonaco emphasized that understanding how buildings fail under wave impact is crucial for developing better designs to protect lives and property.