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40 -Ji I I ~ , 3 ~ ~ z o ~ z Z ~ o ~ o '" I ~ ~ ~ " Modern technology sometimes creates unexpected risks. Mobile homes, while offering low-cost housing, prove especially vulnerable to high winds and storm surge. More than 450 mobile homes like these near Galveston Island, Texas, fell victim to Hurricane Alicia in 1983. tures to accommodate those loads. For design purposes, the use of wind speeds predicted to occur once or twice a century should permit most structures, including individual houses, to with- stand with only minor damage the maximum winds generated by more than half of all hur- ricanes and tornadoes. As with other natural hazards, the two basic strategies in common use to decrease the impact of weather-related disasters are avoidance and miti- gation. For example, a long-term avoidance strat- egy for hurricanes is land use planning in which construction on barrier islands and low coastal areas is restricted. On another level, a short-term avoidance strategy for hurricanes is a 12- to 24- hour evacuation notice aimed primarily at pro- tecting lives. Short-term mitigation measures for use after hurricane watches or warnings are posted include boarding up windows, installing aircraft tie- downs, and other quickly perfotmed activities. Longer-term measures include modification of bnilding practices based on 50- or toO-year predictions of the magnitude of extreme events. Improved construction and inspection require- ments have dramatically decreased wind damage in both hurricanes and moderate-level tornadoes at a low cost during construction and have reduced loss of life and damage in severe tor- nadoes. Potential projects during an IDNHR include: ~ improvement of global weather networks using satellite and surface observations to forecast and track severe storm systems; ~ coordinated international programs to study severe tropical storms, tornadoes, and other se- vere weather phenomena responsible for flash floods, blizzards, hail, and high winds; . enhancement of wind tunnel research on wind/structure interactions; ~ improvement of techniques for poststorm damage evaluation to assess the adequacy of current building practices; ~ mapping of hurricane wind fields after land- fall; ~ standardization and assessment of extreme wind speeds and wind loads to improve building design practices; ~ improvement in construction practices to re- sist wind, with emphasis on low-cost housing; . investigation of the role of insurance in lessen-