Moved to Florida over 30-years ago. Never seen Anything Like this. 5-beach homes collapsed today in the Carolinas.

Good point but if I can offer a counter or clarification --

1) would you still say as much if you lived in the sticks and had to mind your well water and your septic field being near to each other?

2) would you agree that ignoring the need for clean natural water (creeks, streams, rivers, bays, estuaries, oceans) means you will see loss of aquatic life, including the fish and shellfish you may find good eating?

3) would you agree that if you move into a house with great shady trees surrounding it, in a place that sees a lot of sunshine and thus a lot of solar gain inside your house (potentially), that if you cut down those trees your house will get hotter inside during the warmer months of the year?

There is a tendency among conservative-minded people to forget that conservative means conserving. Not wasting. Conservative isn't about a slogan, nor is it about hating leftists or what they pitch politically. It's about keeping what's good. Look up Chesterton's Fence.

I not really commenting about being a conservationist, a good tender of nature, and not tearing down removing what you don't understand. I posted the the Pic of orthographic projection of surface movement, wind and Temp. It was more in-line with the Threads Hurricane topic . With saying that believing that humans influence the warming and cooling of ever changing weather patterns of the planets surface. Also the people following political guided activism movement labeled climate change. And also lumping all those people that are also so stupid that they believe humans are responsible for earths natural way of dispersing heat off equatorial ocean waters that are heated by this huge nuclear fission ball 90 million miles away, by lifting and moving huge masses hot moist air up and dumping that energy into cooler areas of the planet . The Planets natural way of seeking equilibrium balance of surface temperature.. aka Hurricane and Cyclone. All these people are morons.
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There does seem to be this trend in FL housing construction... Slabs on grade. Then either "Block & Stucco" or this external slate framing stuff that builders claim is just as strong in a Hurricane, with wood scafolding. Is that due to the limestone and higher water tables (or concern for sinkholes, etc)? Or is it just for cost savings? I knew I wanted Block & Stucco.

In the PRNJ, slabs wouldn't fly at all. I watched while they built the townhouse 6-unit building I occupied, eventually. Footing-->Foundation--> cutouts for the Main Beams with Lolly columns (and the garage door & upper basement windows). The foundations, of course, being reinforced/poured concrete with French Drains. And in the case of my townhouse, the foundation was high enough to make a full "finished basement." Some are only a "crawl space," I'm told that full footings/foundations are needed up North due to the winter weather and freezing temperatures. Not sure about that, but....

I can see where a slab with that framing stuff (sorry I forget what they call it), might be problematic in re: storm damage. That's why I insisted on Block & Stucco. As for whether or not the framing will hold up in the sand (even with full footing/foundations), I don't know, but I do know I wouldn't trust it. I like being where I am (35 miles from the Gulf). The shore is a "nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there."
 
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I not really commenting about being a conservationist, a good tender of nature, and not tearing down removing what you don't understand. I posted the the Pic of orthographic projection of surface movement, wind and Temp. It was more in-line with the Threads Hurricane topic . With saying that believing that humans influence the warming and cooling of ever changing weather patterns of the planets surface. Also the people following political guided activism movement labeled climate change. And also lumping all those people that are also so stupid that they believe humans are responsible for earths natural way of dispersing heat off equatorial ocean waters that are heated by this huge nuclear fission ball 90 million miles away, by lifting and moving huge masses hot moist air up and dumping that energy into cooler areas of the planet . The Planets natural way of seeking equilibrium balance of surface temperature.. aka Hurricane and Cyclone. All these people are morons.
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Yeah the thing I would focus on when I think of this topic is that part I mentioned. We do influence things merely by being here. A lot of what we look at as "the world" we take for granted the human presence and humans affecting the environment. Fast example: if you want water you turn on the tap, you don't walk to the stream, fill a jug, and carry it home to use. We are disconnected from nature in many ways.

Just because there are effects that happen even w/o humans being on the planet, that doesn't mean humans can't cause negatives on the planet.

Building in a flood plain is a human stupidity and arrogance. Building in seasonal forest fire terrain is the same. It's an ironic thing for someone to pooh-pooh human effects on the environment, and then getting his house burned down in the seasonal fires, or washed away in periodic floods or hurricanes.
 
Building in a flood plain is a human stupidity and arrogance. Building in seasonal forest fire terrain is the same. It's an ironic thing for someone to pooh-pooh human effects on the environment, and then getting his house burned down in the seasonal fires, or washed away in periodic floods or hurricanes.

Nature occasionally does a good job of correcting the stupidity.
 
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Being near the water is simple but just a bit more expensive - not much by the way. Builders here in the USA just screw us and then build crap, stick houses with plywood roofs.

In PR (spent some years there) anyone that builds a house, they ALL build a fortress in comparison. And, it's not as expensive as you think. The homes start with a well shored foundation (not just a slab), and all outside walls and in more expensive homes. ALL walls are built of solid reinforced concrete.

Builders here take us like sheep to the shear pen. Flimsy homes at a great profit for them is what you get, which is armed robbery.

Do you know how cheap it is to form a wall with plywood, put rebar in it and pour concrete in the form? In PR they even pour roofs and then put tiles on it. We are being scammed here. Even poor people in PR have them.

Here in FL, we searched around and found a great house on an island two streets from the water. Built in 1967 and built to the aforementioned standards. It's a tank. Bought (stole it) for $167K 32 years ago. It's worth a fortune today. It might get some water (no water in 32-years and a good number of storms (knock on concrete) in it but it's well built not going anywhere.
Concrete homes are the best! No termites and if it floods just wash it out and rewire
 
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I'm told that full footings/foundations are needed up North due to the winter weather and freezing temperatures. Not sure about that, but....
Yes, the reason that there are concrete footers and foundations up North is exactly because of freezing and thawing and how that affects the ground your house is on. It’s not a myth or gee whiz thing, it’s necessary.