I always wondered why they build such flimsy houses in hurricane prone
areas. I'm reasonably sure that something like my vintage 1950 brick
rowhome would hold up quite well in a hurricane. Would need to add
sturdy shudders for hurricane but other then that it should be OK.

Excluding the mobile homes the houses down here are very well built.
If you haven't been through a hurricane you just can't imagine the
forces that have to be dealt with. What I see mostly down here are
roofs being ripped off the houses. What happens is that the structure
gets breeched through a window or the wind pulling up a piece of wood
somewhere or by flying debris. Once the wind has a way in its pretty
much all over from there... The pull of the wind outside and the push
on the wind from the inside will make short work of the best roof
structures.

Hurricane Francis was only a tropical storm by the time it got to me
but it was still amazing. The wind would hit the gable vents and set
up a vibration that you could feel in the floor. Went to the beach
and could not open the car doors that were facing in to the wind.

Steve B.