UNCLASSIFTED
are being tested in order to determine electrical and radiation cofiesof
istics as well as mechanical and climatic tests to evaluate the me¥its of
each instrument under simulated field conditions. The results are[primarily
of interest to the Geophysical Section of Raw Materials Division.
Civil Defense Activities
Inspection of tornado damage in Massachusetts.
On June BP, 1953,
in the late afternoon a tornado struck Central Massachusetts.
Thq@ tornado
moved from Petersham to Wrentham along a path of about 60 miles wifich
varied in width from several hundred yards to over a haif mile.
nado and at about mid-length it passed over the northern part of
.
4
Because of the possible similarity to bomb damage, Pro
H. L. Bowman, Consultant to the Division, was requested to exani
area involved. Destruction in the area did not look unlike a bo
area. However, the absence of fire resulted in the type of dest
usually associated with high-explosive rather than atomic bombi
damaged dwelling units numbered about 4,000; 630-700 homes were
and property damage was about $52,000,000. The damaged residenc
almost all single-family units. Many were literally demolished,
lost all or part of their leeward walls. Windward walls which r
standing were in many instances badly scarred by debris; leeward
were stuccoed with mud.
Some of the damage observed confirms wuch that has be
from bombed areas: (a) The usual wooden-frame dwelling is inade
anchored to its foundation.
{b) The walls of this same type st
not tied together or to the frame. This fault is evident from
cases where the atmospheric pressure within the structure pushe
e numerous
out a wall
When the pressure on the leeward side of the structure fell bel w atmos-
iW eaeeae
BOGE
RThia
ree iene
peers
ar
i
rate ees Rad Pacha res
pheric.
(c) A safe place for personnel in a tornado, as in ab mbing
In frequent instances the first floor remained
intact when the upper portion of the structure was either seve
incident, is the cellar.
or actually carried away.
(d) Few of the load-bearing brick-w
which make up the majority of the structures in the older porti
cities were in the path of the storm.
Those which were expose
College being the foremost example - fared badly.
{(e) The ste
the shop of the Norton Company which was exposed did escape da
glass and corrugated asbestos siding on the most exposed corney
without dangerously loading the frame.
The metal roofing was
anchored to the purlins and a large area was stripped off and
the adjacent leeward area.
- Assumption
1 frame of
age. The
shattered
f[nadequately
pread over
General
AEC handbook on transportation of radioactive materiel. Problems
arising from the diversity of conditions encompassed in reguidtions for the
14
UNCLASSIFIED
E ARCHIVES
(s