I've been following online the progress of a house being built in Florida over the last year or so. The house is being built to demonstrate the proper way to build a hurricane/tornado/termite/rot proof home. They are making a TV documentary of it too. It's been pretty interesting to watch the building go up. Construction is basically complete. And last week they got to test it out when they got nailed by 100+mph winds of Frances.
The house came through absolutely unscathed.
They just updated their website to include pictures of them watching movies and hanging out while the hurricane force winds were howling outside. (They have a generator.)
Safe Harbor
What makes it hurricane/tornado proof? It is a concrete dome. It costs the same as a regular wood framed house, but will survive just about any natural disaster.
This may be the house of the future. Especially in Florida. If I were building a house in Florida, this is what I would build.