Dive Brief:
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South Florida contractors are busy shutting down job sites as they wait for Tropical Storm Erika to hit land.
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The Miami Herald reported that a building boom has put the construction of 110 high-rise condominium buildings and thousands of single-family homes in the path of what forecasters have said is the storm’s likely path, should it blow into Florida. In addition, construction is underway on a science museum and city center in the same area.
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Construction executives told the Herald that they are ridding their job sites of debris, emptying dumpsters, and hauling away plywood and drywall remnants that could turn into flying missiles if a strong enough gust of wind blows through the zone. Large tower cranes can be locked down and left in place, they said.
Dive Insight:
Construction sites, the Herald pointed out, are “a hurricane’s dream... Portable toilets are one strong gust from turning into airborne missiles. Glass-less windows stand naked, inviting in water and wind.” The storm is expected to escalate to a hurricane before it hits the U.S.
Still, Daniel Whiteman, vice chairman of Coastal Construction, told the Herald: “You don’t want to become overly aggressive in shutting down a job site and sending people home and disrupting an expensive project,” especially when there’s no guarantee that the storm will materialize.
Yet, he added, “We’ve gone ahead and started to prepare as if it’s going to hit.”
Another contractor told the Herald he has asked workers to prepare their own homes for the storm early so they can be available to report to work when it hits. “If the hurricane turns toward us, we need you at work,” he said. “We need to make sure you’re not scrambling to take care of personal things when we need you here protecting the site.”