Way back in 1992 I missed two hurricanes more by good luck than planning. I spent 3 days with friends in Fort Lauderdale only weeks before Category 5 Hurricane Andrew blasted its way across Florida causing destruction in 1992 dollars of $27.3 billion. I then flew on for a 10-day vacation at the Hyatt in Kauaii. Weeks later Category 4 Hurricane Iniki made a direct hit on Kauaii and became the costliest storm ever to hit the Hawaiian Islands.
What continually amazes me is that hurricanes are not a new phenomenon. They have been hitting the USA long before records began. Yet in the target areas most prone to be affected, even today buildings incapable of withstanding even Category 1 or 2 hurricanes continue to be built. What is the point of a house constructed largely of wood when the chances are high that it will be will be torn from its foundations in a hurricane? What is the point of continuing to build homes and other buildings when a coastal city is already virtually at or below sea level and even a small storm surge will cause major flooding? I totally fail to understand the reason!
Typhoons are also a regular summer feature in Asia. The Philippines apart, few now cause the sort of destruction seen in US hurricanes. Hong Kong did not always have high-rise concrete and steel buildings and the damage suffered in major typhoons was considerable. Since the 1970s, though, building regulations have ensured that even in a Category 10 direct hit (the equivalent of a Category 5 Hurricane), damage is mostly superficial and the loss of life very small. The same is true of Taiwan. Even the east coast of China has never seen the sort of destruction I have been seeing in the Bahamas. That Dorian visrtually sat over the Bahamas for a very long time is not really the issue. Typhoon Ellen hit Hong Kong in 1983 with enormous force as witnessed by this photo of a large ship which broke from its moorings and was blown more than a mile before landing on a beach on the small island of Cheung Chau. Yet the beachfront houses suffered little damage. Six people died, one a fireman attempting a rescue.
Photo:: SCMP
