Bahamian Devastation

Here.

The pictures are horrifying - the destruction of the island is even worse than Puerto Rico after Maria.

I don't think the island will recover anytime soon.

Part of the problem is the many people who move to "an island paradise". They built hotels, lavish homes, and other infrastructure on an island, smack in the middle of what you might call Hurricane Alley.

Worse, the homes were not built for the eventual happenstance of a hit by massive winds and water. They weren't sites on high ground, but along the scenic shores. They weren't built along the lines of homes along the hurricane-prone East Coast - plenty of drainage on the ground floors, shutters protecting windows, sited for maximum wind deflection, solid materials that would withstand high winds.

Some possible designs here.

I'm a big believer in cooperation with Mother Nature. Only a chucklehead builds a home in the South without either air conditioning, or a plan for cooling air flow.

Likewise, a home in the Northeast better have some serious insulation - and, BTW, open plan homes suck when the temperature is in the single digits for weeks on end. That's the time you realize that smaller rooms with doors to close off space, leaving fewer rooms to heat, are a jim-dandy idea. And 2 story houses provide efficient heat flow - heat the downstairs during the day, the upper floors become tolerable at night. Some ideas for cold climates here.

We used to own this home in Rock Creek, OH.