08.09.2017

Hurricane danger for Miami tower cranes

As hurricane Irma barrels towards the Florida coast contractors are facing up to the fact that dozens of tower cranes will simply have to be left to brave out the storm which has already seen sustained winds as high as 185mph- almost 300kph , significantly higher than their design capability.
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Miami has dozens of tower cranes that will have to face Hurricane Irma

With insufficient time to bring them down, all that crane owners can do is ensure that the cranes are free slewing, that the weathervane function works properly and in the case of luffing tower cranes, that the jibs are lowered to the optimum angles.

Tower crane inspector Terry McGettigan said: "Hurricane Irma is going to hit Florida pretty hard, and there are a lot of tower crane that are going to be vulnerable to these winds - especially if these crane have weathervanes not working properly, and or forgotten about."

"Also any added signs, flags, and other structures that have been added to tower cranes - that are not approved by the manufacturer should be taken down and or secured without a doubt. Foundations should also be checked and or prepared to minimise erosion caused by flooding."

A local CBS news report does a very credible job of covering the situation – click on the link below. Hurricane Irma is expected to hit the city this weekend.