We blasted mobile homes with hurricane-force winds to test how they fail – and found clues for making affordable housing safer

Engineers are using a unique test facility called the Wall of Wind to develop housing that’s both affordable and disaster-resistant. Their tests show the magnitude of the challenge.

By: Elaina Sutley, University of Kansas and Arindam Chowdhury, Florida International University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: October 9, 2026

Words: 1,232

Last Updated: 1 week, 2 days ago

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By Elaina Sutley, University of Kansas and Arindam Chowdhury, Florida International University

It’s 9:15 in the morning. The wind is roaring at 110 miles per hour (177 kph); the sound is deafening. Dust swirls through the air. We are watching a single-wide manufactured home rock back and forth, as it is pounded by turbulent wind.

Then, in an instant, the screws shear off and the entire unit tumbles backward, rolling two full revolutions before it stops.

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