Innie or Outie?

Hi Everyone,

A while back, I watched a show on HDTV, (don't recall the name of the show), but it was about building hurricane proof homes. I remember that the house was circular which helped high winds go around the house. I also remember that the front and rear doors opened outwardly. When you think about it, if you live in a hurricane prone area, wouldn't it just make common sense to have exterior doors that open outwardly instead of inwardly? When exterior doors open outwardly, external winds can not blow open the door, which leads to more severe interior damage.

I know a lot of people in this country don't like the government interfering with their lives. But if you think about it, wouldn't it be better protection for one's life, famly's lives and property if there were things you could do to better safe guard in case of a hurricane? But what if states passed laws that prohibited inwardly opening doors at all shore line communities and then another 50 miles inland? The addition of outward opening exterior doors, along with other safety precautions, (for high winds) would dramatically reduce insurance claims. That would then reduce insurance premiums.

I do realize that there are issues with outwardly opening doors. For instance, preventing the door from hitting the house when a small to moderate breeze tries to blow the door off the hinges. That could be an easy fix. But another issue is that the door would be subject to the elements and no one wants the interior part of the door to be soaking wet. So yes there are drawbacks, but isn't a safety feature more important then some inconveniences? If I lived in a hurricane prone area, common sense tells me that I would rather have the outwardly opening door than an inwardly one. I would opt for safety every time.

Til next week.

Peter