From: brian@natinst.com (Brian H. Powell)
Subject: Re: Prepared
Organization: National Instruments, Austin, TX
Distribution: austin
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 20:26:49 GMT

In article <2334@devnull.mpd.tandem.com>
	ljane@devnull.mpd.tandem.com (Linda Cast) writes:
> A government in a hurricane prone
> area can and should provide underground or wind-proof shelters and storage
> buildings.

     Governments in hurricane-prone areas often can't provide underground
shelters, because when they dig, they find water.  (Or in the case of New
Orleans, they don't even have to dig; they just have to turn the pumps off.)

> Building codes can and should require wind-resistant strength.

     This mean that every building built under the code is "wind-resistant",
and therefore the government does not need to provide its own shelters.
     I agree, by the way.
     Part of the cause of the mass destruction in Florida is a result of
booming populations there.  Lots of Milburn-quality construction that a big
bad wolf wouldn't have too much trouble with.
     Note also that the building codes need to worry about water flow at least
as much as wind flow.  In the west end of Galveston Island (beyond the
seawall), for example, buildings must be built on piers, with only a one-car
garage on the first floor.  This way, the water can flow around the piers and
you're only screwed if significant debris takes out enough of your piers.
(I.e., the force of the water can take out a wall easier than it can take out
a pier, since the wall has more surface area.)  (Note also that variances to
the code are also a bad idea; building a house that violates the code not only
screws you, but it also screws your neighbors, since your house is more likely
to become significant debris than if you'd followed the code.)

> There's no surprise in these areas that a hurricane will come thru - only
> the timing. The costs of building and stocking correctly are high; the costs
> of clearing rubble, preventing looting, and rebuilding are much higher. 

     (It's not clear to me how looting is prevented by your proposals.)
     I think the building codes are worth it, but I'm not convinced the
stockpiling of food is worth it.  Both building codes and food stockpiles are
insurance policies, but buildings are designed to last for several hurricane
seasons.  Most food is not.  You have to spend a lot of bucks to keep the food
fresh.  How often is a hurricane likely to hit a particular city?  Galveston,
I'd guess, is hit about once every five years or so.  Is it really worth it
for an individual city to stockpile foods every year for the occasional severe
storm?  I don't think so.
     The statistical answer is to spread the risk.  Have central authority (or
authorities) stockpile the food and distribute it to where this month's
hurricane hits.  You could correct the federal government and use it for this
purpose, or you could use the American Red Cross, for example.  I'm not sure
if there's a way to convince (the equivalent of) an insurance provider that
there's profit in this.  (I'm not convinced there is profit in this.  Exercise
One: Write a 100-page (minimum) paper considering federal flood insurance vs.
private flood insurance.  Consider also earthquake and volcano insurance.)
Xref: sparky austin.talk:219 austin.general:2864