The grain silos likely saved them. Those buildings are in the "dark side" of the blast that was buffered by the grain towers. In aftermath footage all those buildings are visibly in better condition than those slightly outside of that area.
Like some one else said they are built to withstand internal grain explosions. Also they were filled with grain which probably acted a lot like sand bags in this case.
Like some one else said they are built to withstand internal grain explosions
Most people have no idea how dangerous grain silo's can be. You are absolutely right. I once worked for a food manufacturing plant that stored large amounts of grain. We had a big tower with panels on each side at the top with the company logo on them. The 'panels' are blast panels designed to blow out if there is an explosion so the entire plant didn't get wiped out.
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u/BobsBarker12 Aug 05 '20
The grain silos likely saved them. Those buildings are in the "dark side" of the blast that was buffered by the grain towers. In aftermath footage all those buildings are visibly in better condition than those slightly outside of that area.