Why people in the tornado part of America build there house in board and not bricks?
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I live in "tornado alley" and most houses here are brick. It can withstand higher winds, but if a tornado hits it, it gets destroyed just like any other house.
There's some out of brick. Anyway,would you rather be hit in the head by a brick or a board?
Look at the pictures of the last town that got leveled by a tornado. Brick building got flatten aas fast as wood. In the end if your property get trashed its is cheaper to replace a wood structure, and easier to repair if the damage is minor.
Tornados will trash even steel beams.
What you need to know about construction is, most homes that look brick on the outside are just that, a single layer of brick on the outside of a house that is structurally a wood framed house.
It is called a "brick veneer", and instead of wood siding, or some other exterior finish, they put a "brick ledge" on the edge of the foundation so they can stack a single layer of brick to look as if it really is a brick house. The brick usually runs up to just under the roof line where it stops, and nothing is resting on it because it is not holding anything up. There is usually a piece of wood hiding the top edge, so you cannot see it.
A real brick house would require at least three layers of interlocking brick. It would be very structurally sound, and might even withstand a weak tornado, but the initial cost is prohibitive, so it is seldom done anymore.
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