I lived on a US military base that regularly received typhoons. Damage never exceeded $5 million, and was typically much lower. Much of the housing was built i

I lived on a US military base that regularly received typhoons. Damage never exceeded $5 million, and was typically much lower. Much of the housing was built in the 50s. It was definitely low quality, including such issues as bad electrical grounding and about as many cockroaches there are stars above. At least, that's how I felt as a kid, anyways. But, it was made of concrete and had steel storm doors. The biggest issue for us was flooding (we were at the bottom of a hill) but newer structures tended to be on stilts or have a sacrificial first floor. This was true both on and off base. Rents off base apparently are pretty cheap by US standards. And this is with a climate akin to that of Hawaii with beaches nearby. So it's possible to build well and be cheap.