Uk National Visiting And Buying Property.....but Longer Term

[russellmania]

 

I myself would not listen to the guarantee of a condo builder that my unit on the 39th floor will withstand a 9.7 major earthquake in cebu city. I will take my chances in a home or 2 story townhouse,the percentages to survive are in my favor.

 

Whether you prefer a low-rise, mid-rise or high-rise is a personal choice. My wife and son are Realtors and we jointly own a real estate company. For buyers who are afraid of tsunamis, the recommendation is one kilometer inland from the shoreline. An elevation of 25 feet or more is added insurance. For earthquakes, one possibility is a floating foundation construction. It was originally developed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the world famous architect and he used it to construct the Imperial Hotel. When the devastating Tokyo earthquake hit, the Imperial Hotel was one of the few buildings left standing. There are now other construction methods. For high-rise, the structural steel is designed to flex. Japan now has 200 buildings on hydraulics that counteract the movement during an earthquake.  

 

My wife and I were in the 42nd floor of a Tokyo hotel when the city was part of an earthquake whose epicenter was in Nagano. My estimate is the building swayed eight feet. A nearby tall building would disappear from our view. We stayed away from the window. My fear was shattered glass, although it would more likely be similar to automobile windshields in design. I also soaked towels in water in case of fire. We would use them as wraps in the event of fire. 

 

Oh I agree that in a 1st world coountry I would be more secure in a hi rise building. But I'm refering to a 3rd world country building codes. Like cebu city for instance.  I hurried down 6 floors to the street,and its hard to imagine me running down 39 floors to the street to safety. Not to mention the big aftershocks that had me dashing down 6 floors about 4 times during the 2 days.