Comments by "Michael Deierhoi" (@michaeldeierhoi4096) on "US tornadoes: Death toll rises with scores still missing | DW News" video.

@TheCurlsCrazy Many people cannot afford houses with special reinforcement and in some cases with this storm it didn't matter anyway. Some brick homes were utterly destroyed by this likely EF-5 tornado that was on the ground the longest. Also some regions do not allow for basements like in Oklahoma. The reason is the soil tends to be moist and the water table high thus a basement would be vulnerable to flooding and mold.
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Some states in the southern US do not have basements because the soil tends to be moist and the water table higher. Thus basements would be more prone to flooding and mold in this areas.
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@alkante2962 Your comment speaks to what many in America aspire to. But the reality is far different where the politics has usurped the will of the people and created a country with characteristics of oligarchy. The republican party for many years has been increasingly beholden to wealthy businesses and individuals. Consequently the wealth gap has grown to the point that the top 1% control 40% of the wealth. People at the bottom often full time for Walmart or McDonald's, but are eligible for food stamps. The conservatives and Republicans of the country have become more concerned with individual rights especially the 2nd Amendment to bear arms, but are less concerned with the greater good of all. Because of these and other reasons America is in decline.
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The US has bombed and or invaded numerous countries in order to "save them". Now many of those countries are collapsing e.g. Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan. . . . .
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This is a problem that became endemic to this society from early on which has led to the American government trampling on people's lives all over the world. History is saturated with such stories. There are actually many reasons for this. As an American I am often ashamed at what this country has done and still does to others, but also to its own people. Especially if they are a dark skinned minority!!
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This isn't Japan. And hovering a helicopter over a disaster area is impractical because it takes days to work through the rubble. Plus the helicopter would be a distraction to hearing a person still alive in the rubble. I'm sorry, but you know nothing.
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The cost is one reason why some people don't. Another is that a devastating tornado is rare so most people don't think about the rare super storm hitting them.
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Some parts of the south do not have basements because the soil is too moist and the basement would be more prone to flooding and mold.
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And how do people with minimal means avoid that? Your shaming comment demonstrates your lack awareness of the problem. Besides not being to afford a reinforced house there is a low chance of people ever getting hit by such a powerful tornado. And the reality is also that life is full of risks of one kind or another.
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@ssoossdd I do think that this is a subject deserving more attention. And I think that it is problematical to compare the US with other countries because of the vast differences between them. In addition there are vast areas around the world among the poorer people with no access to brick and cement structures. This is abundantly clear whenever a major earthquake occurs almost anywhere in the world. Recent earthquakes in Italy, Mexico and Kashmir suffered hundreds to thousands of casualties when the structures they occupied collapsed on them. I suspect that those brick and cement structures that you mention are in the minority at least among the poor.
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Tornado alley is a huge part of the eastern and Midwestern part of the US. Why should people choose to live somewhere else when the chance of a massive tornado outbreak is rare? Besides that in most of the country people risk some sort of natural disaster be it earthquake, flood hurricane, tornado etc. There is no such place with zero risk!!
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