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Center Overview

The mission of the Wind Hazard and Infrastructure Performance Center (WHIP-C) is to enhance the resilience of buildings and other infrastructure to severe windstorms such as hurricanes and tornadoes.

Windstorms have a severe effect on society by causing large numbers of fatalities and injuries and devastating damage to residential, commercial, and industrial buildings as well as power, communication, transportation, water, and other lifeline systems. Over the last 20 years, windstorms have caused more than $300 billion in insured losses in the United States alone. The total losses are estimated to be twice that number.

WHIP-C develops methods and tools for preventing wind hazards from becoming disasters. Its objectives are to seek solutions to real-world problems encountered by the industry, transfer knowledge gained from fundamental research to products and intellectual properties that benefit both the industry and researchers and develop long-term strategies for enhancing the resiliency of buildings and infrastructure to wind hazards.

WHIP-C members are primarily from the insurance, risk-modeling, and construction industries. The construction industry plays a key role in reducing the vulnerability of the infrastructure, while the risk-modeling industry strives to provide accurate and credible assessments of the risk. The insurance industry benefits from reduced vulnerability and better understanding of the risk, leading to more affordable insurance and more resilient and sustainable communities.

Universities

  • Florida International University
  • Texas Tech University
View Center Website

Center Personnel

Delong Zuo
Center Director and Site Director at Texas Tech University
+1 806 834 6535
delong.zuo@ttu.edu

Ioannis Zisis
Site Direction at Florida International University
+1 305 348 4869
izisis@fiu.edu

Kishor C. Mehta
former Center Director
+1 806 834 5679
kishor.mehta@ttu.edu

Research Focus

The principal research themes of WHIP-C are characterization of wind hazards; assessment of exposure and vulnerability of buildings and other infrastructure; and enhancement of community resilience.

Characterization of wind hazard

The research agenda includes better characterization of wind hazards for a community or a location and improved understanding of wind speed and direction in hurricanes, tornadoes, and other extreme windstorms. Field measurements and statistical analyses of the measurements are pursued to yield results that are utilized by industry partners.

Assessment of building and other infrastructure vulnerability

WHIP-C conducts research to better understand the wind loading on structures and the load effects. The outcomes of this research are converted to methods and tools for improved assessments of the exposure and vulnerability of buildings and infrastructure to wind hazards.

Enhancement of community resilience

The resilience of a community lies in the robustness of its buildings and other infrastructure and its ability to recover quickly from damage caused by windstorms. Innovative new products and approaches for new constructions as well as retrofitting buildings and other infrastructure can improve the resilience. WHIP-C pursues research that uses analytical, experimental and numerical methods to develop such products and approaches.

Awards

Member Organizations

IUCRC affiliated member organizations are displayed as submitted by the Center. Non-federal organizations are not selected, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the Center author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.