Hurricane Ian in Wood or Concrete?

What do you see here? (photo credit: Joe Cavaretta/Zuma Press) I see sticks. Lots of sticks of lumber. The kind of dimensional lumber you build with. Except this lumber is headed to a landfill where it can decompose and release CO2. The only thing this lumber will build is a higher landfill mountain.

And maybe asthma - I once (inadvertently) lived next to an undeclared construction-waste landfill. No one knew it was there because it was buried... and undeclared. Did you know that even underground, it can catch on fire? And burn for months or more? It's a very unique smell I won't forget.

All the work and heavy machinery needed to destroy the forest, saw the log, treat it, ship it, install it, and cover it with other materials to protect it. Gone in a few hours, forever. I guess we can just wait another 40 years for the forest to grow back.

Or maybe avoid the whole mess in the first place and build houses that won't do this? For the same price? And more comfortable & energy efficient to live in? Answer honestly: as a category 5 'cane is barreling down on your house and you're inside, do you want to be surrounded by solid concrete or a cage of wood?

Helping communities rebuild in a way that leaves them susceptible to the next disaster makes us complicit in the mess you see above. There is a better way, and we all know that it's this: