Agreed. Government can overstep itself, bit this strays dangerously close to forum boundaries. Now if the building regulations came from a neutral party, ie American Society of Civil Engineers or similar, I would be more supportive. This seems like typical knee jerk reaction.

As to basements, theyre possible, but not practical. An article on CNN a few days ago mentioned less than 1% of homes in that area had a basement. I have seen shelters dug into the slab of the garage, little more than 4' deep and 8-12 feet long, but it gives some protection.