Back in 1992 in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, I saw a good news report about the homes that did and didn't survive. It turned out that none of the 27 homes built by Habitat for Humanity suffered any structural damage while much more expensive homes were flattened. The difference was that the Habitat homes were built to code, including such simple things as metal "hurricane straps" on the studs and joists. These straps only cost a dollar or so each, so they add little to the cost of a home. Many of the other homes cut corners on the code and the enforcement was lax.

Somewhere in Florida gets hit by a hurricane on a fairly regular basis, but any specific location might not get hit twice for many years. Andrew hit the Miami area 12 years ago. Off hand, I don't know of another hurricane to hit there since. You pays your money and you take your chances. For many people, inexpensive modular homes and trailors are the best they can afford. Some of the newer units include hurricane straps in their construction. That, along with a proper foundation, tie downs, and underpinning, greatly increase a unit's chances of survival during high winds.

Just about anywhere you go, you'll find they get hit by extreme weather every so often. California has earthquakes and wildfires, Colorado has winter storms, wind storms and wildfires, Kansas is famous for tornados, etc. Building codes should be tailored to the specific threats for those areas, and for the most part, they are. They also have to be enforced, which it seems they often aren't.