Winter storms in the US

[ChewChewTrain]

Originally Posted by Draigflag

What about the entire towns and neighbourhoods completely wiped out by huge storms?

We call that "acceptable losses". Of course, we mourn the loss of all those hardworking, gullible taxpayers, but we'll make more.

[BlueRover]

Originally Posted by ChewChewTrain

We call that "acceptable losses". Of course, we mourn the loss of all those hardworking, gullible taxpayers, but we'll make more.

Until the big one hits California around San Fran and Oakland, but hopefully not the Jelly Belly Factory tour site.

[EMY92]

It would be very expensive to make a house "tornado proof". Many of the newer homes in Tornado Alley are built with a safe room or basement. Other options are to have a storm shelter installed in your yard or garage. I have seen areas where the only thing left after a major tornado are the home foundations.

Even with CMU walls, again the CMU would need rebar reinforcement to hold together in a big tornado. The roof needed to survive a tornado would need to be concrete. If not, it would pull off.

The tornadoes did make last Sunday evening a little more exciting around here.

If you want to see pictures of major tornado damage, the Oklahoma City area has been hit several times in the last 10 years. The small town of Jarrell, Texas was completely destroyed in the 90s.

[ChewChewTrain]

Tornadoes are like an invisible Godzilla stomping through an area. Destruction TV reports would be more fun if the weather person could say, "Godzilla was seen approaching east of our city and the National Guard is powerless! Run for your lives!!!"

[SteveMak]

Originally Posted by Draigflag

Quick question, I've always wondered, why do they keep building timber houses in Tornado areas? They blow away and people die (and if they survive, termites eat them) Here we don't have many Tornados, most are out at sea, but our buildings are Brick and Stone and last a few thousand years at least.

I'm assuming it's to do with cost?

Here, in Southern Ontario, Canada, I believe it's a matter of convenience, lower cost, and tradition (habit... we've always done it this way). It's common here for people to rent their hot water heater, where in other parts of the world, that would raise eyebrows.

Chalk it up to "weird ways of life."

[ChewChewTrain]

In southern California, you have to provide your own apartment refrigerator. In northern California, refrigerators are normally included.

[R.I.D.E.]

Mother natures urban renewal. In the US the early settlers would burn down their houses to get the very expensive hand forged nails, when they moved, to build the new house.

[ChewChewTrain]

Originally Posted by R.I.D.E.

Mother natures urban renewal. In the US the early settlers would burn down their houses to get the very expensive hand forged nails, when they moved, to build the new house.

Bummer. If they practiced Japanese-style joinery they could have spared a pack of matches.

[BlueRover]

Originally Posted by SteveMak

Here, in Southern Ontario, Canada, I believe it's a matter of convenience, lower cost, and tradition (habit... we've always done it this way). ."

I always thought there where many brick houses in Ontario or are the bricks just a facade??

Temperature here is rising and the rains have come to wash away the snow, sand, and salt. Now lots of frozen street drains and flooding in some areas, advantage to living on top of a hill. Local mountains closing ski hills because of avalanche warning and mountain rescue will be busy the next few days.

No El Nino this year.

[ChewChewTrain]

And, since we're talking about bricks, this reminds me of a question that has bothered me for many, many years...

Just exactly what does it mean by "she's built like a brick house"? You know the tune. Why is this more desirable than a woman made of redwood or reinforced concrete? Has SAE published papers on this?