Imagine a ceiling made of concrete falling on you versus a wood one.
That’s… Unlikely. How many high rises have come down during hurricanes? It you’re building a home with reinforced concrete walls that are tied to a solid foundation, it’s not going to come down on you in a hurricane. A tornado might take the house down, but you’re pretty fucked if a tornado hits your home regardless. As far as fires go, well, a wood-framed house burns down around you, so is that really any better than being baked in an oven? (Depending on how fast a fire moves, you may not lose a concrete or stone building.)
The biggest issue in a hurricane isn’t the wind damage, it’s the storm surge. A house made with reinforced concrete panels is going to be able to recover from that more easily than one that has a wooden frame and gypsum board or plaster; you don’t have to replace concrete that gets wet.
Cost is very nearly the only driver for constructing houses out of stone, brick, or reinforced concrete. Ever priced out a stacked stone construction? I did, for a retaining wall; it was something like 100x more expensive than a pressure-treated wooden retaining wall. The retaining wall would have cost more than my house, in materials alone, never mind labor.
That’s… Unlikely. How many high rises have come down during hurricanes? It you’re building a home with reinforced concrete walls that are tied to a solid foundation, it’s not going to come down on you in a hurricane. A tornado might take the house down, but you’re pretty fucked if a tornado hits your home regardless. As far as fires go, well, a wood-framed house burns down around you, so is that really any better than being baked in an oven? (Depending on how fast a fire moves, you may not lose a concrete or stone building.)
The biggest issue in a hurricane isn’t the wind damage, it’s the storm surge. A house made with reinforced concrete panels is going to be able to recover from that more easily than one that has a wooden frame and gypsum board or plaster; you don’t have to replace concrete that gets wet.
Cost is very nearly the only driver for constructing houses out of stone, brick, or reinforced concrete. Ever priced out a stacked stone construction? I did, for a retaining wall; it was something like 100x more expensive than a pressure-treated wooden retaining wall. The retaining wall would have cost more than my house, in materials alone, never mind labor.