Tornado ImageOMS offers its condolences to all those affected by the tornado that struck Oklahoma on Monday, May 20th.  Given that Indiana is in a high risk area for tornadoes, preparing for this type of disaster is part of our job.  OMS (Matt Mayol, AIA, LEED AP) recently gave a presentation on this topic at the November 2012 Indiana Association of School Board Officials (IASBO) conference.  Below are a few highlights from our presentation which we feel are especially relevant given the recent devastating storm:

For mere pennies per square foot, your building can be analyzed for its safe zones and have a customized safety plan.  Have your architect:

  • Tour every facility in person
  • Study all existing building drawings
  • Develop a drawing(s) that indicates the best available “safest” refuge areas
  • Identify if there are any area refuge deficiencies
  • Recommend any upgrades to address deficiencies
  • Develop project costs or long range planning options to address any deficiencies

Safety Diagram

Mayol also recently spoke on this topic to WTHR (see video below).

We at OMS want to be a resource to help you ensure that your buildings are safe.  If we can help in any way, please contact us.

For more information on how the architectural community is responding to the Oklahoma tornado disaster situation, please visit The American Institute of Architects’ website.

13 WTHR Indianapolis

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