![James Swanson talks over Zoom to WCPO.](https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2021/12/n21055880/jcr:content/image.img.cq5dam.thumbnail.500.500.jpg/1639492457752.jpg)
WCPO I-Team: Warehouses not required to offer storm shelters
UC associate professor James Swanson explains construction standards after deadly storms
WCPO's I-Team turned to a University of Cincinnati construction expert to explain how commercial construction standards measure up against deadly storms like last week's tornadoes that killed factory and warehouse workers.
Tornadoes swept across the Midwest on Friday, killing more than 90 people in Kentucky and Illinois. Six people were killed at a warehouse in Illinois while another eight people died at a candle factory in Kentucky.
UC associate professor James Swanson.
WCPO spoke to James Swanson, an associate professor of civil engineering in UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science. He has studied how structures hold up to wind and has conducted research on bridges, steel construction and other civil engineering topics.
Swanson said warehouses should contain hardened shelters designed to withstand storm damage. Today's construction takes wind storms into account, Swanson said. If building codes are followed, workers should be safe from all but the most extreme storms, Swanson told WCPO.
"The highest winds that we would see in the state of Ohio, for example, are in the order of 70 to 80 miles per hour and we design for about 105," Swanson said. "I think the codes are fairly well-developed in this case and I feel like they're appropriate."
Featured image at top: UC associate professor James Swanson talks to WCPO over web chat about the deadly storms that swept across the Midwest on Friday. Photo/WCPO
UC: birthplace of co-op
UC is the birthplace of co-op, the model in which students divide the year between full-time classroom instruction and full-time employment in their chosen field. UC's nationally ranked co-op program helps build your resume while funding your degree and discovering your career.
Related Stories
UC hosts camp for children, teens who stutter
![Fox 19 logo](/content/dam/refresh/uc-news/news-icons/dark/wxix-dark.png)
July 24, 2024
Children and teens who stutter have learned skills to help them communicate effectively, advocate for themselves and develop confidence about their communication abilities during a weeklong camp at the University of Cincinnati, Fox 19 reported.
Health effects of secondhand marijuana smoke
![Local 12 logo](/content/dam/refresh/uc-news/news-icons/dark/wkrc-logo-dark.png)
July 24, 2024
Local 12 featured the University of Cincinnati's LaTrice Montgomery in a story on the relatively unknown effects of secondhand marijuana smoke.
Don't like your voice? There's an app for that.
![WVXU logo.](/content/dam/refresh/uc-news/news-icons/dark/wvxu.png)
July 24, 2024
WVXU's Cincinnati Edition talks to UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Associate Professor Vesna Novak about her new voice-coaching app.