- Herbert Saffir
Herbert Saffir (
29 March 1917 –21 November 2007 ) was the developer of theSaffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale , for measuring the intensity of hurricanes. As recently as 2005, Saffir was the principal of Saffir Engineering [ [http://www.enr.construction.com/opinions/lettersUpdates/archives/051121.asp Looking at the Damage - McGraw-Hill Construction | ENR ] ] inCoral Gables, Florida . He has published articles on designing buildings for high wind resistance. [ [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=author%3Ah-saffir&btnG=Search Google Scholar search for H Saffir] ]Saffir graduated from the
Georgia Institute of Technology in 1940 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. [ [http://www.alumni.gatech.edu/news/ttopics/win95/hallfame.html Engineering Hall of Fame ] ] Saffir worked forDade County, Florida beginning in 1947 as an assistant county engineer, and worked on updating the countybuilding code . Since that time, he had traveled extensively to study windstorm damage for clues to improvements and has been a tireless advocate for stricter codes in hurricane-prone areas.In 1965, while working on a study of windstorm damage on low-cost housing commissioned by the
United Nations , Saffir developed a scale to categorize the intensity of hurricanes by their maximum wind speed. In 1969, his friend Robert Simpson, then-director of theNational Hurricane Center , added information on the potential storm surge and range of central pressures for each category, resulting in what later became known as theSaffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale . [http://www.novalynx.com/saffir-interview.html Q&A with Herbert Saffir — June 2001 interview from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel]Saffir survived the burning of the cruise ship SS "Morro Castle" on
8 September 1934 . The ship was en route from Havana to New York when it caught fire and burned, killing a total of 137 passengers and crew members. Saffir floated for nearly five hours before being rescued, according to his account related to friends.Fact|date=October 2008On
21 November 2007 Herbert Saffir died of a heart attack at South Miami Hospital, according to his son, Richard Saffir. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/23/AR2007112301595.html Herbert Saffir, 90; Hurricane Scale Creator] ]References
External links
* [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article2962456.ece Obituary in "The Times", 29 November 2007]
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