CASE STUDIES • REAL-WORLD LESSONS
What disasters and security incidents teach us about risk.
Risk assessment becomes more useful when it is grounded in what actually happens to buildings, people and operations when a weak link fails.
FROM HOUSES OF STRAW, HOUSES OF WOOD
Lessons drawn from years of observing building vulnerability.
These case studies draw on Michael Fjetland's ebook and field experience. They are reframed here for an independent consulting practice: identify the vulnerability, understand the cascading consequences, and prioritize practical mitigation.
Hurricane Ike & the Weakest Link
A risk-management lesson from Houston: a building can be strong overall and still suffer major loss when one vulnerable component fails.
Project Safe Windows: Why Openings Matter
A real-world lesson in how windborne debris, broken openings and internal pressure can turn a local failure into a building-wide loss.
Hospital Tornado Risk: When Evacuation Is Not Simple
A hospital example showing why risk assessments must account for people who cannot simply evacuate when a threat appears.
Forced Entry: The Seconds That Matter
A residential break-in story that illustrates a core security principle: security measures do not need to make intrusion impossible to create value—they can buy time.
Hurricane Ike: Neighboring Buildings, Different Outcomes
A visual reminder that buildings exposed to the same event can experience very different outcomes depending on their vulnerabilities and protections.
YOUR FACILITY IS THE NEXT CASE STUDY THAT MATTERS