ALABAMA STATE EDITION
231
65
72 Florence
2
Huntsville
20 Decatur
72
565 59
43
A Supplement to:
231
431
31
5
Gadsden
78 59 Anniston
20
Birmingham Bessemer
82 Tuscaloosa
65 280
20 82 Auburn
80
85
Selma
Phenix City
Montgomery
82
July 24 2013
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231
43 84 431 331
84
84 52
Vol. XXV • No. 15
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45
“The Nation’s Best Read Construction Newspaper… Founded in 1957.”
Dothan
65 98
Mobile
10
Your Alabama Connection • Rich Olivier, Atlanta, GA • 1-800-409-1479
Predicting Hurricane Intensity Remains Challenge By Michael Finch II AL.COM
We’re due for a big one, some say. Every year now since 2004 and 2005 — the years of Hurricanes Ivan, Dennis and Katrina — the Gulf Coast has been “due” for a storm season worse than the year before. Now, one month into the official hurricane season, forecasters expect a double-digit number of storms to develop. As many as 13 to 20 named systems — storms with 39 mph winds or higher — are estimated for the coast by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration this year. Three to six of those may be major hurricanes, categories three or higher. If those numbers sound familiar, that’s because weather experts have been predicting more active weather patterns since the mid-1990s, said Bill Williams, director of the Coastal Research Center of the University of South Alabama. Yet, forecasting storm intensity remains a more elusive challenge.
That’s why you see so much leeway in the number of major storms predicted, Williams said. “It’s a real problem.” The factors that determine how strong a storm will be and where it will make landfall rests on shaky science. And the years between major storms offers a premature glimpse into storm outlook for the season. “Historically, every 10 years or so we’ve had a major storm,” said Jeff Garmon, meteorologist of the National Weather Service in Mobile. “Unfortunately, nature is not as predictable as that.” Weather experts look to a number of ingredients that combine to make an intense tropical storm. Wind shear and surface water temperatures are among the top factors, If not the most important indicators used, Garmon said. The rapid change in wind speed and direction that can shear off the intensity of a hurricane and warm waters can also increase it. Sometimes el nino occurs, when the Pacific Ocean warms up and wind blows from west to east, weakening hurricanes
for a short period. Not this year, which helps explain the double-digit amount of storms expected. Among the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina is the importance of preparation. With winds as high as 125 mph, Katrina made landfall, leaving behind a wrecked Gulf Coast. And the storm seasons since 2004 and 2005 have not yielded a major storm of its size or intensity. “Just because you have a minimal year,” Williams said, cautioning residents, “it doesn’t mean you are safe from a big storm.” Last year, only one major hurricane made landfall — Superstorm Sandy. Forecasters say the number of tropical cyclones predicted this year does not mean each of them will reach land. From the time storm systems form over the Atlantic, the Caribbean and the southern Gulf of Mexico there are a myriad of factors that influence where they go, Garmon said. “Whether we [the Gulf Coast] get a system,” he said, “is just the luck of the draw.” (This story also can be found on Construction Equipment Guide’s Web site at www.constructionequipmentguide.com.)
Phase Two of $72M Animal Hospital Project Proceeding Well Cindy Riley CEG CORRESPONDENT
Crews waterproof steel beams prior to precast installation.
Phase two of a $74 million small animal teaching hospital project is under way in Auburn, Ala. The 266,052 sq. ft. (24,717 sq m) addition will include a 208,000 sq. ft. (19,323.8 sq m) replacement hospital, a 34,079 sq. ft. (3,166 sq m) classroom addition, a 5,810 sq. ft. (539.8 sq m) research lab and an 18,163 sq. ft. (1,687.4 sq m) renovation to the existing classroom facility. The goal was to build a hospital that would accommodate growth for the next three to four decades. “The new hospital will include an enclosed dog park and designated units for each type of hospital service,” said Josh Kirkland, project manager of the Birmingham-based contractor Brasfield & Gorrie. “ Each will include an exam room, a treatment room and a seminar
room for student discussion. Support services such as diagnostic imaging, pharmacy, radiology, clinical pathology and critical care will also be included. Surgeons have designed a second floor wing with a central sterile court for all surgeries.” The Wilford and Kate Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital was designed to transform the Auburn veterinary campus into a place that combines education and clinical research with the latest in animal health care delivery. Focused on diagnostics and procedures only available at the level of practice associated with a university medical center, the college will be positioned to take full advantage of its position of leadership within the profession and the state. The structure is adjacent to the existing hospital on the college’s campus. The new facility will have clinical, examinasee HOSPITAL page 2