I'm not religious or anything, but it's kind of weird how all this smiting with biblical storm action happens after that stunt with the migrant folks. Just something to think about.
I just wonder why Floridians and others along the Gulf Coast and places that get hit with hurricanes don't require a switch to building with more appropriate materials. I lived in Taiwan a number of years--a place where you can figure on getting hit with a typhoon (same as a hurricane, essentially) about three times every year, plus the occasional massive earthquake, like the one I lived through in 1999--and there, residential buildings are generally made with reinforced concrete. Most are ugly and kind of bunker-like, with small windows, out of necessity. It wasn't until more recently that some of the swankier new places could put in larger but thicker windows (one place I lived in had glass windows with panes 3/4" thick) and use steel I-beam construction to eliminate the need for tiny rooms and immense columns. But you don't hear of thousands of houses destroyed every time a typhoon blows through, though you may hear of flood damage, power outages, and cars destroyed (often parked in basement parking). The worst-case scenario comes from typhoon-related mudslides in the mountains. Entire villages have been buried that way--but that's not something that would happen in a flat place like Florida. They really have to switch to better, stronger materials.
We rode out a typhoon on the 60th floor of a highrise there and didn't feel a thing.
When I lived in Houston, TX, our 20 floor office building would sway in the breeze whenever winds hit 50mph. Of course, they were designed that way, but still a bit unnerving.
Our Hong Kong tower was built on HUGE concrete pylons. Amazing stuff to see.
We lived in "Le Prestige" at LOHAS Park...
Here's a photo of what one of their buildings looks like at the base
These residential buildings are about 65 stories high.
I just wonder why Floridians and others along the Gulf Coast and places that get hit with hurricanes don't require a switch to building with more appropriate materials. I lived in Taiwan a number of years--a place where you can figure on getting hit with a typhoon (same as a hurricane, essentially) about three times every year, plus the occasional massive earthquake, like the one I lived through in 1999--and there, residential buildings are generally made with reinforced concrete. Most are ugly and kind of bunker-like, with small windows, out of necessity. It wasn't until more recently that some of the swankier new places could put in larger but thicker windows (one place I lived in had glass windows with panes 3/4" thick) and use steel I-beam construction to eliminate the need for tiny rooms and immense columns. But you don't hear of thousands of houses destroyed every time a typhoon blows through, though you may hear of flood damage, power outages, and cars destroyed (often parked in basement parking). The worst-case scenario comes from typhoon-related mudslides in the mountains. Entire villages have been buried that way--but that's not something that would happen in a flat place like Florida. They really have to switch to better, stronger materials.