May 10, 2012

Yahoo! News - Masonry Council Urges Action to Prevent Storm, Fire Deaths, Injuries; Calls on Texas Cities to Enact Stronger Building Standards

Texas municipal officials can and should do more to prevent wild fire and windstorm-related deaths and injuries by strengthening local building standards, says the Texas Masonry Council.

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“Research at Texas Tech University and elsewhere has shown that only masonry or reinforced concrete walls can protect against lethal flying debris that might be encountered during a tornado with wind speeds up to 130mph,” said Mukaddes Darwish, PH.D., associate professor, Construction Engineering and Engineering Technology, at Texas Tech.