ever since
hurricane andrew hit southern florida in 1992, people in florida have been
required to build and remodel their houses to new standards. it is my opinion
that while the idea of building a safer and more storm resistant dwelling
makes sense, demanding that we require some aspects of our dwellings to resist
such forces and others not, makes no sense. if we are to
expect our doors to withstand hurricane forces, why not the rest of the house?
it's a safe bet that most houses have more square feet of windows than doors.
shouldn't we then require all windows to be fitted with hurricane impact glass
as well? what about sliding doors? by their very nature, these doors have the
largest square footage of any door in the house and it's all glass. shouldn't
they therefore be the primary focus of hurricane standards for impact glass?
you may retrofit the most hurricane resistant entry system known to man, but
nothing will keep your neighbor's roof from coming in through that
fortification, if that's the direction the wind blows it. what about those
huge trees that give your neighborhood that special charm? are they secured
into the ground sufficiently enough to withstand a major blow? no, they have
been growing for decades, untested by hurricanes. therefore, i declare in the
name of public safety, that all trees taller than 20 feet need to be removed
or surely they will find their way into people's homes in whole or in part.
let's also require hurricane proof sheds, roofs, lawn
ornamentals, vehicles, signs, and every other exterior environmental item
visible to the human eye. where do we stop? you can never
stop hurricane destruction. you can only board up, get out, hope for the best,
and then rebuild.
on a separate note, at no time should tax payer money be used
to build or rebuild anything on land that is below sea level. sorry, new
orleans, but that is simply stupid. |