RAPID/Collaborative Research: Multi-Platform 3-D Data Preservation of Tornado Damage to Engineered Structures in Texas during November 16-17, 2015

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During November 16-17, 2015, a rare tornado outbreak produced at least 17 tornadoes in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, including an Enhanced Fujita (EF) EF3 tornado, which damaged a group of engineered structures at an oilfield services facility near Pampa, Texas and nearby engineered center-pivot irrigation system structures. Structural resistances for these structures can be estimated, enabling the estimation of tornado wind speeds associated with the damage. This Rapid Response Research (RAPID) project will investigate tornado wind structure and estimated wind speeds through three-dimensional (3-D), digital data preservation of the tornado damage to the oilfield facility and irrigation system structures. Preservation of this 3-D structural damage data will enable future researchers to validate wind-damage prediction models, via physical modeling, computer modeling, and other predictive damage modeling (for example, loss estimation and risk assessment modeling). Using a suite of remote-sensing data collection methods, the project team will rapidly collect high-resolution, 3-D structural damage data through photography and photogrammetry, laser scanning, unmanned aerial vehicle visual imaging, and satellite imaging. The data collected from this project can serve as the basis for collaborative, multi-disciplinary studies emphasizing the accurate and highly detailed preservation of structural damage from tornadoes, heightened understanding of the complex wind structures of tornadoes, validation or refinement of tornado wind speed estimates, and development of more resilient infrastructure. Undergraduate students will participate in data collection and then use this data to collaborate on future research alongside graduate students and faculty researchers from three institutions, thus training future leaders in the mitigation of natural hazards damage.