Wilma spins toward Florida CNN: Hurricane Wilma is heading north into the Gulf of Mexico after pounding Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula for two days. The storm, now with 100 mph winds, could strengthen as it heads toward Florida, whose southern half is under a hurricane warning. Wilma is expected to reach Florida Monday morning.
After Katrina and Rita, we can check each move of hurricane Wilma even in Japan. As if I was watching CNN, every Japanese TV broadcast about Wilma. It seems quite odd that people in Japan do really worry about American people even when a hurricane hits other counties like Mexico or Cuba. But this is not that point which I want to say today. Instead, the structure of houses.
When Japanese people travel to USA and stay at home of ordinary people, we feel quite unsecured because American houses look like being built relatively easily and fuzzily. We have to pull or push most doors or windows violently in order to open or close. And we have to use air conditioners both continuously and powerfully because there are so many tiny holes that allow inner air to go outside. And what makes us concerned about American houses is that the vulnerability. TV news often shows us flying houses blown by strong wings. It is true that USA is a relatively flat country so that wind is likely to damage more to houses than those of Japan. But the scale and power of hurricanes is as big as typhoon which direct Japan and you can buy a house in Japan as reasonable as that of USA.
You may point out the fact that we, Japanese people, tend to live much smaller houses than American. Yeah, that makes sense. The smaller is always cheaper. But people can consider which choice is more logical. Building a large but easy to be damaged by hurricane or a small but tough especially you are now living southern states which are quite likely to get a couple of hurricanes a year.
