As Storm No. 3 (Yagi) was making landfall, many houses in Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Hanoi, and other areas were affected. Some houses lost their roofs, and windows on upper floors were blown out. During this time, some people on social media suggested that people should slightly open a door or window to ventilate and reduce air pressure inside the house, thereby reducing the risk of roof damage and broken glass.
Although those who offered this advice certainly had good intentions and wanted to help the community during a natural disaster, it is an old notion that science has proven not to be followed.
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Houses in Thuong Dinh, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi, had their roofs blown off during Storm Yagi. Photo: Facebook |
Specifically, the answer to the question of whether one should open doors or windows during a storm is NO. Doing so will not help reduce air pressure inside your house and may even cause more damage.
The McGill University Office for Science and Society (Canada) writes: “If our houses were open boxes and we could create large openings on both the windward and leeward sides, most of the wind would blow straight through, reducing the pressure on the house structure. But our houses are not open boxes. Doors and openings between rooms, closets, furniture, corners, etc., cause the wind to blow into the house and cannot blow straight through but will hit the walls and other things.”
Here is a video of the wind blowing off a roof in Ha Long, Quang Ninh: (Source: Hanoi Television)
Moreover, the advice to open or slightly open doors/windows also overlooks one of the most important causes of damage to property and people during storms: flying debris. With the strong winds of storms, anything from a small stone to glass, roofing sheets, or tiles can become extremely dangerous.
Therefore, closing all doors and windows (assuming they are of good quality) can help prevent debris from entering the house. Moreover, the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) in the US advises closing all doors in the house, not just the main door and windows. This can divide the pressure into smaller areas, reducing the pressure on the roof.
In a program by the US National Weather Service (NWS), when a student asked whether to open or slightly open windows during strong winds or storms, the instructor bluntly answered: “Find a way to keep yourself safe instead of doing anything else. If a storm wants your windows open, it won’t hesitate to open them for you.”
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A tree fell on a bus in Hanoi during Storm Yagi. Photo: TPO |
Wishing everyone safety.
From 3 pm, Hanoi recorded strong winds of level 6, with gusts of level 8. The rain and wind will get stronger as the evening approaches. The time of the strongest wind and rain in Hanoi is expected to be from 6 pm on September 7 to 1 am on September 8. People should not go out during this time unless necessary.
According to Hoa Hoc Tro
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