Protecting Data Centers from Tornado Troubles

Mother Nature’s power continues, as we saw with the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma. The May 2013 tornado that hit the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore was reported to be a full-fledged F5 tornado creating havoc and destruction.

There are on an average 1200 tornadoes per year in the United States. Since 1950, there have been around 60 EF5 tornadoes, with the states of Oklahoma and Alabama being the worse hit with seven tornadoes each.

For those wondering what an F5 tornado is, here are the details.

The Enhanced Fujita Tornado Damage Scale (EF1 to EF5) was published in 2007 and replaces the original Fujita Scale that went up to F12. Recent data indicates that the F5 level itself is so destructive that one need not measure up to F12 anymore. F5 tornadoes have wind speed ranging from 261 – 318 mph.

When it comes to data protection, many organizations go the extra mile to ensure protection of critical company data. Many companies choose to construct data centers that are F5 tornado resistant. Some use outsourced hardened data center facilities, also known as colocation. These hardened buildings can withstand winds up to 400 mph and are perfect for protecting the organization’s data center. These facilities are built with extensive use of reinforced concrete and other features depending on the region and the risks.

Lifeline Data Centers are F5 tornado resistant, with high data center uptime and compliance to all the major data center regulations. Talk to us if you are looking for a reliable and secure data center to protect your data from natural disasters.

Alex Carroll

Managing Member at Lifeline Data Centers

Alex, co-owner, is responsible for all real estate, construction and mission critical facilities: hardened buildings, power systems, cooling systems, fire suppression, and environmentals. Alex also manages relationships with the telecommunications providers and has an extensive background in IT infrastructure support, database administration and software design and development. Alex architected Lifeline’s proprietary GRCA system and is hands-on every day in the data center.