Huricane proof house

The last house standing

Since I moved to hurricane country in 1998, I've asked the same question each year; why aren't builders required to construct homes that are hurricane proof?  Given the billions of dollars in hurricane destruction that goes on year after year, you would think that enough of a critical mass of concerned people would have formed by now to have affected this.  Guess not.

But here's the visible proof that it can be accomplished......

   

Yesterday, iReport.com received an amazing submission from austinheli. His photos showed a lone house standing in a wasteland left in Ike's aftermath.

austinheli, is Ray Asgar, a private helicopter pilot based in Austin, Texas. He visited Gilchrist and Galveston Monday to photograph the damage left after Hurricane Ike slammed the coastal area last weekend.

The lone yellow house caught Asgar's attention. He said it was the only structure standing for miles. Considering the extent of Ike's devastation, he said, it was "odd to have nearly any damage to one home."

Pam and Warren Adams rebuilt their home in February 2006 after Hurricane Rita destroyed it the previous year. Hudspeth said that the couple hired a contractor to build a home that could withstand a Category 5 hurricane. Warren Adams watched over every step of the construction to make sure it was done correctly. 

The question that State, County and local officials in the hurricane prone US coastal areas must be asked, is why aren't all homes required to be built this way?