Storms Severity Lead to Calls for Upgraded Construction Standards

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 130 mph. Masonry veneer provides better protection than non-masonry materials, but vertically reinforced masonry walls and total masonry construction, which is standard around the world, with the exception of the United States, is even better. That is why public schools are often built with total masonry construction consisting of reinforced concrete block interior walls and masonry exterior walls. They are built that way to protect our most valuable asset, our children.