Call for WTC Engineering Study 3

[DaveVikingPE]

Here's a link to a New York Post story, SAB, to wit:

December 18, 2001 -- Relatives of World Trade Center victims won Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's backing yesterday for a federal study of whether design flaws hastened the Twin Towers' collapse in the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
Clinton (D-N.Y.) said she will "definitely" call for a blue-ribbon federal engineering study...

...

While the World Trade Center's designers say no structure could have survived thousands of gallons of burning jet fuel, fire engineering experts have questioned the towers' design and the quality of their fireproofing...Regenhard [mother of a victim] says her call for a study is backed by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) as well as groups representing relatives of police, firefighters and civilians killed in the double collapse...She noted that Osama bin Laden, who was in the construction business, has expressed astonishment at the buildings' collapse..."Even a demonic barbarian who lives in a cave was surprised," Regenhard said..."My son was not killed by fire," she said. "My son was killed by a building."

===================================================

http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36989.htm

I personally believe there is absolutely nothing wrong with Sen. Clinton's call for a "Blue Ribbon Engineering Study" though I would point out that AISC, et al. have been doing just that and the results may come out in a 2002 conference (source: Modern Steel Construciton magazine).

I'm offended that, though I understand that losing a loved one is horrible, someone is blaming the WTC's design, or questioning it's integrity. Engineers, especially Structural Engineers are going to be misquoted, misunderstood and wrongly blamed in the coming months, so we'd better get ready...

I, for one, hope that any engineering reports both tell the truth (I think that the building couldn't have withstood the fires and that the design was certainly adequate) and educate the public.

Comments?

 

[DaveVikingPE]

Folks,

I knew even mentioning Hillary! would end up sending this discussion in the wrong direction. That is, we'd be discussing Sen. Clinton and politics.

I happen to be a citizen of New York both State and City. ...and as such I have to work with what I'm given. As far as what the politicians up here are doing, paying lip service to the constituents is just part of their job - as it is for any politician anywhere. Sen. Clinton (I didn't vote for her, I voted for John Clifton) is very good at a lot of things, one of them being getting attention. This talent should be exploited and if AISC, ASCE and everyone else ALREADY involved in the study were to contact her she would see the advantage in publicly exploiting contacts with a genuine "blue ribbon" group. It's good publicity to surround yourself with smart people. Likewise, with Hillary! as a mouthpiece there's a chance that the engineering community will get a proper say and a lot of attention when the report comes out.