http://www.nydailyne...llery-1.1194577
http://www.nydailyne...95831#pmSlide=0
I didn't know that there were so much wooden houses in the US. It reminds me of the tale of the three piggies.
I didn't know that there were so much wooden houses in the US.
Many houses are still made of wood here. And there's a trend to reclaim old wood from structures such as from a barn, house, etc., that's going to be torn down with an attempt to not damage it so it can be re-used.
Here in the Netherlands the majority of houses (>98%) have brick or concrete walls.
Here we use brick or concrete for foundation walls, since you wouldn't want wood going into the ground as it would rot. More expensive houses I've seen have been constructed out of brick.
She's a brick.........'ouse.
Seems there's A LOT OF that needs to be fixed in the US.
http://www.thedailyb...ken-system.html
And why did so many people build their house on the beachfront ? A sure guarantee to get one's house destroyed in a/the next (super-)storm like e.g. Sandy.
And why did so many people build their house on the beachfront ?
People like being near the water, however like you I question why would anyone want to live that close to the water since mother nature will eventually reclaim it. The same goes for rivers that people like to build houses far too close to. Just across the river from my city whole areas that were far too close to the river were completely destroyed from the massive flooding a few years ago, and it was the second massive flood in under a twenty year period.
They need to build away from the water, and build some massive flood protection structure like England, etc., has to help prevent or at the least reduce storm surge and flooding. The likelihood of the U.S. building some coastline protection anytime soon as in the next few decades I seriously doubt would ever happen.
Just see what happened in New Orleans, in 2005, with hurricane Katrina !!
New Orleans was unique in one way, it's below sea level which didn't help.
and they had destroyed all the natural barriers and it wasn't the ocean or river that got NO it was the man made reroute for the river and Lake Pontchartrain (the levees broke)
The walls of the Industrial Canal were breached by storm surge via the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, while the 17th Street Canal and London Avenue Canal experienced catastrophic breaches, even though water levels never topped their flood walls. Louisiana State University experts presented evidence that some of these structures might have had design flaws or faulty construction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Pontchartrain#Hurricane_Katrina
So now you have it! When I get to be a billionaire, I'm going to make a house that's just about impervious to almost everything.
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1) Ice -> Spring loaded sharpened metal points on the roof, so when large hailstones push them down, they pop back up (& break the ice).
2) Wind -> Rounded house for better aerodynamics & reduced drag in hurricanes, or high winds.
3) Fire -> Fireproof construction so house can't burn down.
4) Earthquakes -> Preloaded helium capsules, tethered (with emergency food & water rations!) & ready to escape if the house starts to err..., fall in!!!
5) Floods -> Pre-tethered house, with sealed foam rings on the outer bottom edges so it floats if the water rises too high.
6) Power -> LED lights + Solar panel system to power everything.
7) Famine -> Hidden compartments of food + water.
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Hmmmm... Did I cover everything?
Everything except the 'how to become a billionaire' thing.
Oh, yeah... I figure when I get that rich, I'll also have a car like this:
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1) Invisibility by sight -> LCD panels, complete with 6 cams on bottom to project surface your riding on, to the LCD panels.
2) Invisibility by radar -> Advanced curved surfaces, preventing radar readings & reducing radar signature to minimal, if any.
3) Invisibility by thermal -> Body built with composites to reduce heat signature as much as possible.
4) Invisibility by sound -> Quietest possible engine, complete with switch to flip to temporary electric if needed.
5) Bullet proof -> Insulated by bullet proof materials (including the mirrors & windshield).
6) Night vision -> Windshield & mirrors made of night vision material, so visibility at night is no problem. Even with lights off.
7) Autonomous driving -> Pre-programmed to go home when you hit emergency button. If your detained, car makes it home. No-one gets a ticket.
8) Puncture proof tires -> Using new army tech for run flat tires that never need air, so road spikes have 0 effect. Inner tire coated with bullet proofing.
9) Electronic protection -> Lead shield surrounding critical electronics on the engine, so no police can EM spike your engine & kill it.
10) Rear mounted invisible EM gun -> Disable ALL electronics in pursuing police cars. Cell phones, radios, engines. No-one gets hurt, but they can't chase you!
11) License plate masking -> Flip switch hides plate from lights with cams, so fast changing lights don't erroneously give you improper tickets.
12) Tinted windows -> Protect your privacy. No hidden photos.
13) Brilliant IR lights surrounding car -> No-one can see them, & blinds stop-light cameras with waves of invisible light. Increases night vision viewing.
14) Osprey helicopter/plane setup -> Enables emergency takeoff. Speed limits? Planes don't have those! How can you ticket a plane?
15) Virtual hologram -> If you somehow manage to get pulled over, protect your real identity with a hologram voice & person. Yes, officer!
16) 360 degree bottom mounted stun gun -> Since it doesn't hurt anyone (for long), make your get-a-way!!!
17) Ejection seats -> Similar to jets. Cop stops you? No problem! Eject & jet home on your jet seat. Push emergency button so car goes home, also.
18) Auto-plane system -> Car headed home, but senses road block? No problem! Osprey-like action takes plane-car home.
19) Van De Graaff generator system -> Car senses high impact (bullets?)... Automatically employs high voltage system to form electromagnetic barrier.
20) Boat/flotation device -> Sealed undercarriage foam blocks. Car floats if encountering lots of water. Osprey action can helicopter car outta there!
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I may have missed something. I don't know. I'll have it figured out by the time I win a billion dollars, though!
So now you have it! When I get to be a billionaire, I'm going to make a house that's just about impervious to almost everything.
Just move to the dark side of the moon.
I figured you'd have Justin Beiber carry you to safety.
When I look at this picture then these people - IMO - were asking/begging for a destruction of their homes. Building homes made of wood and building them that close to the beach.
The Estate Agents were guilty for selling those homes.
The Morgage Lenders were guilty for lack of due diligence before granting a mortgage.
The immediate victims made a mistake and may be less trusting of "experts" in future.
Or perhaps just a matter of too many people wanting to live in the same region. A matter of over-population.
It isn't just a matter of over population, it also has to do with virtually no oceanic protection like a flood barrier.
There were scientist on TV shows for years warning and dreading if a hurricane hit the area and the damage it would cause, turns out they were correct not too many years after those predictions.
The climate is - most definitely - changing. And no, human(s) (behaviour) have/has only a minor impact on climate change. Currently the Atlantic is getting warmer. And that's the reason why (super-)storms will travel (more often) to higher latitudes.