In October 2024, a film crew from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) visited the University of Florida’s wind-hazard research facility as part of its investigation into the building and infrastructure failure in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Maria in 2017.
The NIST researchers collaborated with UF structural engineering researcher Brian Phillips, Ph.D., associate professor with the Engineering School of Sustainable Research and Environment (ESSIE). Using fog machines, adjustable wind speeds and green lasers, the crew examined the wind effects on a model of Hospital Bella Vista in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.
The idea was to visualize hurricane-force winds moving through regional topography and buildings using the model in the wind tunnel. The crew filmed into the night, watching as the laser-lit fog wrapped around the hospital model in high winds generated at the facility.
The wind-hazard research facility is in Powell Family Structure and Materials Laboratory on UF’s East Campus.
