Social Question
Can a house really be built to survive hurricanes?
I have an interest in historic, vernacular, regional architecture that goes back to my early- to mid-teens.
It seems that there have been houses in earlier centuries on the Gulf coast and eastern seaboard that have survived such severe storms. They were simply built better, and were usually shuttered to protect the windows and interiors.
Then again, maybe these houses never had a direct hit from the higher categories of hurricanes.
There have also been older homes in my city that, after a fire, demolition crews have had much more difficulty than expected tearing down the ruins. I remember a house in particular, built around 1902, that was next door to my great grandmother. When I was nineteen and already very much into Victorian houses, sorry to see this one go and hoping to get a glimpse of the way it was constructed, the demolition team telling me that there was no hurricane or tornado that could take out a house like that. Maybe he was exaggerating.
But with so much loss and devastation among our Gulf and Atlantic coasts in recent years, I wonder if many of the historic homes will survive, or if homes could be built now, finances permitting, that would survive such atrocities.
Sorry that I may seem unconcerned about human survival—I am actually working with Samaritan’s Purse right now—skipping South Carolina to head for the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. I AM concerned about the people. But this question is about the survival of people’s homes, property, ideas for rebuilding, and the continued survival of historic places that give the region its identity.
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