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The missing step is often that we continue to let communities pop up in these areas that we fully expect to periodically burn down. Of course, we often still l

The missing step is often that we continue to let communities pop up in these areas that we fully expect to periodically burn down. Of course, we often still let people build their houses in flood planes, but we seem to be slowly getting better at that.

falcolas 9y ago
Or in zones where there are catastrophic earthquakes on a regular basis. Or hurricanes. Or tornadoes. Or blizzards. > we often still let people build their houses in flood planes The best farmland is on flood plains; good luck with holding them back. Let's be honest for a moment: there's no place in America which is safe from every regularly occurring natural disaster. Yet we still live here.
- sizzzzlerz 9y ago
  Absolutely true. But we need to expose the dangers of building and living in these hazardous areas and make the owners share significant portions of the costs of protecting them. Here, in California, you can buy earthquake insurance but at a high premium and high deductabl but everyone is quite aware of the fact that the earth can shift any time. The same should be the case for building in areas subject to wildfires, or avalanches, or tidal surge, or tornadoes, or hurricanes.
  - falcolas 9y ago
    > make the owners share significant portions of the costs of protecting them Well, practically speaking, we do. In the form of taxes, which are redistributed according to need by FEMA and associated agencies. This is definitely one place I would not trust a for-profit insurance company given the typical cautions around fire insurance for a home - use it only as a last resort or find yourself unable to get coverage.
    - sizzzzlerz 9y ago
      In the event of a major catastrophe, it really won't make any difference who is carrying the insurance. They're all going to run out of money and will only pay off the early birds or a fraction of the policy's coverage to all. And by major, here, I'm think an 8 earthquake rupturing the San Andreas fault from San Diego to the Tehachapis or a multi-state cat 5 tornado swarm in OK, NE, KS, IA, and MO. Are they likely? Sure but improbable. The joker, however, will be the effect of global warming and what its going to do to the weather.
- jessaustin 9y ago
  No one is talking about farmers. They're usually smart enough to locate their houses up the hill. The problem is towns, cities, and especially rural housing developments in floodplains. This year, we had local residents bemoaning their devastating flood losses while pointing out that the water rose even higher two years ago. [0] ?%?!#$? What is wrong with people? [0] http://www.ky3.com/content/news/Taney-County-residents-clean-up-after-flash-flooding-wait-for-waters-to-recede--420943744.html http://www.ky3.com/content/news/Taney-County-residents-clean...
  - falcolas 9y ago
    Those farmers probably got relief money from the government to help offset the hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars worth of crops lost to floods. > What is wrong with people? Ask the residents of New Orleans. Or the Netherlands. Or the Venetians. They're people, in their homes. People are typically pretty irrational when it comes to their homes.

falcolas 9y ago

Or in zones where there are catastrophic earthquakes on a regular basis. Or hurricanes. Or tornadoes. Or blizzards. > we often still let people build their houses in flood planes The best farmland is on flood plains; good luck with holding them back. Let's be honest for a moment: there's no place in America which is safe from every regularly occurring natural disaster. Yet we still live here.

sizzzzlerz 9y ago
Absolutely true. But we need to expose the dangers of building and living in these hazardous areas and make the owners share significant portions of the costs of protecting them. Here, in California, you can buy earthquake insurance but at a high premium and high deductabl but everyone is quite aware of the fact that the earth can shift any time. The same should be the case for building in areas subject to wildfires, or avalanches, or tidal surge, or tornadoes, or hurricanes.
- falcolas 9y ago
  > make the owners share significant portions of the costs of protecting them Well, practically speaking, we do. In the form of taxes, which are redistributed according to need by FEMA and associated agencies. This is definitely one place I would not trust a for-profit insurance company given the typical cautions around fire insurance for a home - use it only as a last resort or find yourself unable to get coverage.
  - sizzzzlerz 9y ago
    In the event of a major catastrophe, it really won't make any difference who is carrying the insurance. They're all going to run out of money and will only pay off the early birds or a fraction of the policy's coverage to all. And by major, here, I'm think an 8 earthquake rupturing the San Andreas fault from San Diego to the Tehachapis or a multi-state cat 5 tornado swarm in OK, NE, KS, IA, and MO. Are they likely? Sure but improbable. The joker, however, will be the effect of global warming and what its going to do to the weather.
jessaustin 9y ago
No one is talking about farmers. They're usually smart enough to locate their houses up the hill. The problem is towns, cities, and especially rural housing developments in floodplains. This year, we had local residents bemoaning their devastating flood losses while pointing out that the water rose even higher two years ago. [0] ?%?!#$? What is wrong with people? [0] http://www.ky3.com/content/news/Taney-County-residents-clean-up-after-flash-flooding-wait-for-waters-to-recede--420943744.html http://www.ky3.com/content/news/Taney-County-residents-clean...
- falcolas 9y ago
  Those farmers probably got relief money from the government to help offset the hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars worth of crops lost to floods. > What is wrong with people? Ask the residents of New Orleans. Or the Netherlands. Or the Venetians. They're people, in their homes. People are typically pretty irrational when it comes to their homes.