Ivan continues trek towards Florida

Hurricane Ivan remains a category 5 storm, tracking towards Cuba and still a potential threat to the Florida Keys, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).As of Monday afternoon, Cuba was beginning to experience the outer edges of the storm which has already ravaged Grenada, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, with more than 60 deaths in these areas being blamed on the storm. Ivan is packing winds of 160 mph, and bringing potential rainfall of up to 12 inches. While the eye of the storm is expected to miss Cuba, the nation remains on alert for hurricane-force winds and rains, as well as potential flooding and mudslides.Current estimates for insured damages should Ivan hit the west coast of Florida later this week are US$3-$16 billion, according to EQECAT. Its estimates are based on current NOAA storm tracking.The story has a Canadian twist as well University of Western Ontario professor Alan Davenport, who also serves on the board of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) was the principal consultant for wind loads for the Caribbean Uniform Building Code in the 1980s. He points to the need for greater incentives from owners, banks, insurance companies and others to put technology to its best use in building design and construction. “The key to preventing damage is really very largely a question of quality in construction,” he says.Davenport and colleague Peter King also conducted research on Florida’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which could be impacted by the storm.