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bvigal wrote:What worries me is people thinking their house is strong enough (somehow), then staying through a hurricane when they shouldn't. Hurricanes spawn tornados, with winds up to 300mph. You can't build anything to withstand that. Have you ever seen a picture of a piece of straw driven 6" deep into a tree trunk? Or, a tractor trailer wrapped around a tree, 20 feet off the ground? Or brick/concrete buildings reduced to tiny rubble, like a bomp went off? The "round house", had it been hit by a tornado, would have fallen.
A dwelling is only as strong as the weakest point where wind can intrude, i.e. roof, windows, doors, or the screws holding the shutters on, or in case of surge, where the water can get in (almost anywhere). Like Mike asked, if the entire contents, including walls and builtins are destroyed, would one consider that to be "withstanding" a hurricane? Or is the discussion how to spend a lot of $$ to return to some bare walls left? And, if that were so, would the foundation still be good enough to reconstruct, or would the homeowner have to spend a lot extra to tear down those extra-sturdy walls?
Brunota mentioned a good point: a "safe room" indoors. For those who MUST remain to do their jobs, it makes sense. As to residents, however, it just doesn't make sense. People build shelters to escape tornados because they come without warning. But, why would anyone choose to stay in a tiny room like that in the path of a hurricane, when there's plenty of warning to get away? Hurricane shelters, however, should be constructed to withstand as much battering as possible, no matter how far inland, due to tornados.
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