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Why they build houses from wood in those areas to start with? Where I live most houses are build from concrete, steel and bricks, I don't see how a hurricane wo

Why they build houses from wood in those areas to start with? Where I live most houses are build from concrete, steel and bricks, I don't see how a hurricane would have much impact on such a house. Also all those things that they have to deal with like maintenance and such, brick houses stay forever, there are no termites or rotten wood, why not invest a bit more and have a house that can stand for hundred of years?

dsr_ 7y ago
They build houses on the shores of New Jersey because (1) it's close to New York City, close enough to commute, so there's a high value in living there; (2) New Jersey has the highest population density of any US state, 1200/square mile; (3) hurricane damage has scaled up in the last few decades. The problem with having a hurricane-proof house in New Jersey is that your neighbors don't -- yet.
- metaphor 7y ago
  > The problem with having a hurricane-proof house in New Jersey is that your neighbors don't -- yet. Not really. The biggest threat in high-density areas is damage from small projectiles. Proper hurricane shutters are a thing and quite effective. How effective? Consider surviving 3 Category 5 Super Typhoons back to back on a small island with nowhere to run[1][2][3]. Not even South Florida knows what that's truly like. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Ivan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Ivan [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Keith https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Keith [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Paka https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Paka
chiph 7y ago
You need to get the house off the ground to allow the storm surge to pass underneath. 15 feet (5 meters) is about what you should plan for. You would need concrete piers going down 40+ feet (13 meters) to provide enough shear strength to protect against the wind load and also the sand erosion that will happen. Something to consider is that all that weight up high (if you elevate a brick house somehow) will cause the house to function as an inverted pendulum. The wind in a hurricane isn't constant - it has both infrasound and pressure waves[1] in the audible range and if it happens to match the resonant frequency of your building, that's bad. Maintenance is constant in coastal areas. They usually use fiber-cement siding ("Hardie Plank") as it doesn't rot and provides some resistance to wind-driven projectiles (aka your neighbor didn't bring his patio furniture indoors, and now the chairs are missiles). Air conditioners last half their usual expected lifespan because they're constantly running and the salt-laden air corrodes them. [1] Apparently hurricanes can induce "earth hum" via friction contact. https://arxiv.org/html/physics/0509103 https://arxiv.org/html/physics/0509103

dsr_ 7y ago

They build houses on the shores of New Jersey because (1) it's close to New York City, close enough to commute, so there's a high value in living there; (2) New Jersey has the highest population density of any US state, 1200/square mile; (3) hurricane damage has scaled up in the last few decades. The problem with having a hurricane-proof house in New Jersey is that your neighbors don't -- yet.

metaphor 7y ago
> The problem with having a hurricane-proof house in New Jersey is that your neighbors don't -- yet. Not really. The biggest threat in high-density areas is damage from small projectiles. Proper hurricane shutters are a thing and quite effective. How effective? Consider surviving 3 Category 5 Super Typhoons back to back on a small island with nowhere to run[1][2][3]. Not even South Florida knows what that's truly like. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Ivan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Ivan [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Keith https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Keith [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Paka https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Paka

chiph 7y ago

You need to get the house off the ground to allow the storm surge to pass underneath. 15 feet (5 meters) is about what you should plan for. You would need concrete piers going down 40+ feet (13 meters) to provide enough shear strength to protect against the wind load and also the sand erosion that will happen. Something to consider is that all that weight up high (if you elevate a brick house somehow) will cause the house to function as an inverted pendulum. The wind in a hurricane isn't constant - it has both infrasound and pressure waves[1] in the audible range and if it happens to match the resonant frequency of your building, that's bad. Maintenance is constant in coastal areas. They usually use fiber-cement siding ("Hardie Plank") as it doesn't rot and provides some resistance to wind-driven projectiles (aka your neighbor didn't bring his patio furniture indoors, and now the chairs are missiles). Air conditioners last half their usual expected lifespan because they're constantly running and the salt-laden air corrodes them. [1] Apparently hurricanes can induce "earth hum" via friction contact. https://arxiv.org/html/physics/0509103 https://arxiv.org/html/physics/0509103