To address the "what about that" argument relative to natural hazard in other areas all over the mainland, I'll offer this thought.
Against hurricane, tornados, fires, floods, and for some level of tsunami, it is possible to construct homes that can reliably survive such threats with minimal damage. The will to do so may be lacking in many cases, but it's a matter of time before the pioneering types with unconventional (and probably concrete) homes survive the next disaster while their neighbors houses get leveled. Hopefully that drives adoption more. It does cause me great consternation to see people building highly flammable houses to replace entire neighborhoods that get burned down, for instance.
However, a large lava flow will destroy anything. It may not burn down but once inundated it's gone anyway. As will getting hit by a lahar, also a volcanic threat. I'd argue the people living immediately downhill from Mt Rainer in Washington state are living on borrowed time. A concrete house can (and have) endured a pyroclastic surge. The occupants better GTFO however, or end up like the residents of Pompei.
I gave this extensive consideration before I eventually purchased property in LV6.
Against hurricane, tornados, fires, floods, and for some level of tsunami, it is possible to construct homes that can reliably survive such threats with minimal damage. The will to do so may be lacking in many cases, but it's a matter of time before the pioneering types with unconventional (and probably concrete) homes survive the next disaster while their neighbors houses get leveled. Hopefully that drives adoption more. It does cause me great consternation to see people building highly flammable houses to replace entire neighborhoods that get burned down, for instance.
However, a large lava flow will destroy anything. It may not burn down but once inundated it's gone anyway. As will getting hit by a lahar, also a volcanic threat. I'd argue the people living immediately downhill from Mt Rainer in Washington state are living on borrowed time. A concrete house can (and have) endured a pyroclastic surge. The occupants better GTFO however, or end up like the residents of Pompei.
I gave this extensive consideration before I eventually purchased property in LV6.