EVACUATED VISTA BUILDING COULD FALL ANYTIME
The recently evacuated Vista Building on historic downtown
Main Street is in more danger. With very strong winds in Oklahoma,
especially over the past week, the building could topple without notice.
City officials temporarily evacuated everyone from the famous site
because of the poor structural integrity of the building. Until the
foundation is fixed, no one is allowed to go into, or near the building.
A popular sports bar and grill "The Vista" has been around for decades.
Being a very popular place for college students, many are looking
elsewhere to drink and have fun.
This past week, the problem got a little worse than just a structure
problem, it got windy. Professionals that surveyed the site, stated that
the building would not continue to stand if there were winds above
50 mph sustained longer than three seconds. Anyone who has been
outside in the past few days can tell that the wind sure seems to be
blowing. For precautionary measures, the City of Norman closed down
Main Street from Peters Street to Porter Street. The surrounding
businesses were also shut down, because if the building were to fall
due to winds, nearby buildings would also be in the line of danger.
"The Vista is like a second home to me. I have spent so much
time and money there with friends, I really don't know what to
do now!," said Eric Hollinghead, University of Oklahoma senior.
With the forecast of strong winds in Oklahoma next week also,
city officials still do not know when it will be safe for people to walk
by, and for surrounding businesses to open their doors again. To help
keep tabs on the wind, an anemometer has been placed on the building
to help monitor winds.
CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE
image courtesy of vistasportsgrill.com
with added graphics by me!
Here is an example of a building crashing. Although, it is a little bigger, this could still happen to the Vista!
your blog is so good
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