Well, does a hurricane count? Generally, the category of a hurricane just about matches the F number for a tornado (a category three hurricane is about the same wind speed and destructive force as a F-3 tornado). In addition, tornados often accompany hurricanes, but there is so much going on that they are hard to spot and it is hard to attribute specific damage to a tornado.
The datacenter was on the top floor of a 7 story building. The roof failed and the top floor was flooded. All of the equipment was powered off and wrapped in plastic about an hour before the roof failed. Had the equipment not been wrapped, we would have surely been classified as 'destroyed'. We were down for a couple of weeks as we mucked out the under floor and dried everything out. This was Hurricane Alicia in 1983 (long before DR was popular). We had plastic handy simply because the roof had a history of leakage. Hurricane Ike last year did very little structural damage but the power was out for weeks. That challenge was getting deliveries of fuel for the generator. The suppliers had no power to pump fuel or were under water, the drivers that did not evacuate had no fuel to drive to work, etc etc. -----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Eric Bielefeld Sent: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 11:52 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Bulletproof (was Re: Mainframe hacking (getting back on topic)) I'm just curious. Has anyone worked for a company whose datacenter was struck by a tornado? Was the datacenter damaged or destroyed? Especially, what if the building was a really tall building? I don't recall ever hearing that. I know in Milwaukee, we occasionally have tornados. Back in the 60's, my wife's family farm near Platteville had a lot of damage due to a tornado. Her dad just watched from the living room. Luckily, it didn't hit the house but only a barn and silo. Eric Bielefeld Sr. Systems Programmer Milwaukee, Wisconsin 414-475-7434 ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Eells" <[email protected]> > > Several years ago, I visited a state-run data center in the USA's tornado > belt. They had searched high and low for a building design that was > "tornado proof" but nobody would certify that. They had to settle for a > building that was "missile proof." The "missile" in this case was a > utility pole hitting end-on at 200mph. I have no idea whether a tornado > ever hit that building, but I do know there are few other buildings I > would rather be inside. (Well, Cheyenne Mountain would probably be OK, if > you call that a building. ;-) > > John Eells > z/OS Technical Marketing > IBM Poughkeepsie > [email protected] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed. The message, together with any attachment, may contain confidential and/or privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, printing, saving, copying, disclosure or distribution is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
