Dear Editor: My heart goes out to victims of natural disasters, whether they suffer property damage, personal injury, or loss of loved ones. Hurricane, tornado, flood, naturally occurring wild fire — "acts of God" — there, but by the grace of God, go I.

Then, I recall that I am responsible for my own and my family’s care. Like disaster victims, I make choices that may affect my or my family’s safety and general welfare. There’s no substitute for choosing the correct tool to do a job, like correct housing for areas subject to higher risk of wind, water, earthquake or wild fire damage. For example, home kits are available that are designed to withstand the perils above without significant property damage or any harm to the families within. They are comparable in cost to very vulnerable, manufactured housing and still vulnerable, framed housing.

Though not traditional in appearance, geodesic domes are immensely practical and certainly superior to manufactured housing in appearance. They can be assembled by owners from kits of triangular "sandwiches" of thin-shell concrete, rigid foam insulation and interior dry wall impervious to water, all bonded together. Unlike conventional housing, they are fire-resistant, earthquake-proof, aerodynamically-sound, and suited to exposure to the perils above. Between disasters, they are very energy-efficient.

Certainly, insurers must charge more to cover property in hazardous areas. Surely, competition would force insurers to charge less to cover structures designed to withstand local perils without damage. We do not need government bail-outs using blood money from taxation to remedy our folly, especially, when the market has provided solutions already.

randyreynolds@1776.ws

2506 King Louis Road NE , Conyers, GA 30012

(770) 760-1776