Current:Home > InvestHurricane Milton’s winds topple crane building west Florida’s tallest residential building-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Hurricane Milton’s winds topple crane building west Florida’s tallest residential building
lotradecoin integration with payment systems View Date:2024-12-25 14:49:39
Here’s what to know:
- Evacuations: Fifteen Florida counties, home to more than 7.2 million people, were under mandatory evacuation orders as of Wednesday morning. Officials are warning residents not to bank on the storm weakening.
- Landfall: Milton is expected to make landfall on the west coast of Florida late Wednesday as a Category 3 storm.
- Path: The storm is forecast to cross central Florida and to dump as much as 18 inches of rain while heading toward the Atlantic Ocean.
The mayor in St. Petersburg, Florida, warned residents cranes at several construction projects across the city might fall in Hurricane Milton and at the storm’s peak on Wednesday night, one came crashing down.
No one was injured when the crane working on a 46-story condominium and office budling — which will be the tallest residential tower on Florida’s Gulf coast — crashed into a nearby building where the Tampa Bay Times is located.
But the twisted metal gouged a hole where part of it came to rest in the brick and concrete on one corner of the building. Wires dangled down and bits of office items were strewn about. Another part of the crane blocked the street below. Nearby, Milton’s winds tore panels off the roof of Tropicana Field where baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays play.
No one was working in the newspaper office at the time of the collapse. City officials blocked off several blocks until they can completely assess the damage and begin working to remove the toppled and twisted crane.
Developer Red Apple Group told the newspaper that at least one crane cab in the upper section of the mast fell and they were working with city officials to assess the situation. The company didn’t respond to an email from The Associated Press on Thursday.
The 400 Central skyscraper was designed to top out at 515 feet (157 meters). It will have 301 condos at a minimum price of $1 million, along with retail and office space, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
It will probably require at least one more crane to dismantle the twisted mess, just like construction crews usually need another crane to start building a crane.
Most structures that build skyscrapers are called tower cranes, and they are able to build their own tower higher as the building goes up.
The key part of crane safety is carefully balancing all the competing weights and forces.
“When that cab operator shuts the crane off, he immediately releases the brakes and puts it into ‘weather vane’ mode so it can move with the wind,” said Tom Barth of Barth Crane Inspections in Goose Creek, South Carolina.
If a crane stayed in one spot, the wind would provide more resistance like a hand stuck in a river. But if the boom can turn, the wind can blow alongside it and reduce that resistance, Barth said.
“Even on a seemingly calm day, you’re going to see that boom move a little,” said Barth, who has operated and inspected cranes for about four decades.
Experts said most cranes are designed for winds of at least 100 mph (161 kph), and those in places like Florida, where hurricanes are a greater hazard, often have a greater wind resistance.
But there is only so much force a crane can handle. That’s why St. Petersburg Mayor Kenneth Welch warned anyone living near construction projects that use a crane to leave, and police made sure areas threatened were cleared.
Because cranes have to be both raised and removed carefully, it can take days or longer to remove them, Barth said.
That’s time that usually isn’t available once forecasters lock in on a potential path for a storm.
veryGood! (13)
Related
- As Baltimore’s Sewer System Buckles Under Extreme Weather, City Refuses to Help Residents With Cleanup Efforts
- John McEnroe to miss calling 2023 US Open after testing positive for COVID
- American Airlines flight attendants take key step toward possible strike
- Justin Theroux Sparks Romance Rumors With Gilded Age Actress Nicole Brydon Bloom After PDA Outing
- Andrew Shue's Sister Elisabeth Shares Rare Update on His Life Amid Marilee Fiebig Romance
- A building fire has killed at least 58 people, many homeless, in Johannesburg, authorities say
- Simone Biles using new clothing line to get empowering message across to girls
- A 100-year-old oak tree falls on the Florida governor's mansion, Casey DeSantis says
- Walmart boosts its outlook for 2024 with bargains proving a powerful lure for the inflation weary
- Listen Up, Dolls: A Barbie V. Bratz TV Series Is In the Works
Ranking
- Big Georgia county to start charging some costs to people who challenge the eligibility of voters
- Trump launched an ambitious effort to end HIV. House Republicans want to defund it.
- John Legend Reflects on Special Season Ahead of His and Chrissy Teigen's 10th Wedding Anniversary
- Oregon political leaders are delighted by the state’s sunny revenue forecast
- US Army intelligence analyst pleads guilty to selling military secrets to China
- Andrew Lester in court, charged with shooting Black teen Ralph Yarl for ringing doorbell
- When can you buy the new iPhone 15? Apple announces release date for iPhones, watches
- Woman who stabbed grandfather in the face after he asked her to shower is arrested
Recommendation
-
What Conservation Coalitions Have Learned from an Aspen Tree
-
Ousting of Gabon’s unpopular leader was a ‘smokescreen’ for soldiers to seize power, analysts say
-
There's Something About Cameron Diaz's Birthday Tribute From True Love Benji Madden
-
Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell appears to freeze up again, this time at a Kentucky event
-
Wally Amos, 88, of cookie fame, died at home in Hawaii. He lost Famous Amos but found other success
-
Death of woman following attacks on North Carolina power stations ruled a homicide
-
Jihad Ward gives his perspective on viral confrontation with Aaron Rodgers
-
Biden stresses need to prepare for more climate disasters like Hurricane Idalia, Maui fires in speech today