Susan,

You may want to reconsider your opinion of those structures. I strongly believe that if you took the design of those structures to a reputable seismologist or anyone familiar with mud slides, floods, or major earth movements would tell and show you how those structures are in reality death traps. They may stand up to small amounts of all of the above mentioned calamities. But any significant force, including a large motor vehicle, will bring the structure down and bury the inhabitants. Remember the only thing holding them together is gravity, the force that earthquakes use to wreck havoc!