State Farm sponsored lesson: "Designing for Disasters" is a PowerPoint for primary and secondary students that discusses the different environmental disasters in which engineers have to take into consideration when building different structures. It also highlights how anyone can prepare a safety plan for disasters. Additionally, this lesson can be paired with a "Levee Building" activity.

2.  Engineers have to consider natural
disasters when designing projects.
 Why do you think engineers have to
design for disasters?
 Can you name some types of natural
disasters engineers must design for?

3.  Flooding is the most common, costly and
deadly natural disaster in the United
States per year.
 To help minimize the effects of flooding
civil engineers design and build levees.
 What is a levee?

4.  A levee is a man-made embankment built
to keep a body of water from overflowing.
 They also prevent ocean waves from
washing into undesired areas.
 Levees are constructed with compacted
soil, rocks and concrete or steel.
 Grass is sometimes planted on top to help
minimize erosion.

6.  Designing for earthquakes requires
understanding the effects they have on
buildings and soil.
 Earthquakes cause both tension and
compression forces.
 Concrete structures are not very safe during
earthquakes because concrete is strong in
compression but weak in tension.
 How do engineers solve this problem?

7.  To make buildings stronger in tension,
engineers add steel. Steel is strong in
tension and also somewhat flexible.
 The elasticity of steels allows the structure to
flex and return to its original state.
 Engineers must also consider soil
liquefaction. This phenomenon occurs
when soil is shaken and begins behaving
like a liquid.

8.  Engineers try to avoid this by
using soil compaction
techniques such as dynamic
compaction.
 Dynamic compaction is used to increase
the density of the soil by dropping a
heavy weight repeated on the ground at
regular spaced intervals.

9.  Tornadoes produce extremely high
pressures and loads. Constructing
tornado-resistant buildings are very
expensive.
 Instead the emphasis is placed on
occupant protection and creating a
hardened portion to be used as a safe
room.

11.  The new Joplin Hospital is designed to
withstand a direct hit from an E5
tornado.
 The Joplin Hospital design is focused on
strengthening three areas. One is the
roof.
 Can you name the other two?

12.  The roof will be an all-concrete structure. A concrete
slab with be glued down in which the roof system
will be built on. This way if the roof blows away, the
concrete slab will still protect the building.
 The siding of the hospital will be made out of pre-
cast concrete. Pre-cast concrete is made in a
controlled facility rather than poured at site. Due to
minimum environmental impacts, pre-cast concrete
is stronger.
 The windows are designed to withstand 250 mph
winds.

13.  When severe weather strikes, stay
informed by listening to the radio.
 Make a disaster survival kit including:
water, a tool kit, extra clothing, blankets,
a first-aid kit and nonperishable food.
 Make sure your family knows where to
meet.