http://www.builderonline.com/news/natural-disasters.aspx?view=rss&id=Query_tcm1074264http://www.builderonline.com/construction-trends/sifting-through-the-ruins.aspx?rssLink=Sifting+Through+the+RuinsAfter natural disasters hit, many builders flinch at getting involved in rebuilding efforts.http://www.builderonline.com/local-markets/hurricane-ike-hits-gulf.aspx?rssLink=Hurricane+Ike+Hits+GulfCategory 2 storm leaves more than 2.5 million people without power in three states. http://www.builderonline.com/business/gustav-submerges-parts-of-new-orleans.aspx?rssLink=Gustav+Submerges+Parts+of+New+OrleansClean-up effort begins. http://www.builderonline.com/business/hud-readies-disaster-assistance-for-gulf-hurricane-victims.aspx?rssLink=Hud+Readies+Disaster+Assistance+For+Gulf+Hurricane+VictimsForeclosure protection to be offered to displaced familieshttp://www.builderonline.com/business/california-to-homeowners.aspx?rssLink=California+to+Homeowners%3a+You+Must+Help+Prevent+WildfiresCalifornia Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last week called for homeowners to aid the state in preventing wildfires by following landscaping laws designed to keep such fires from spreading.http://www.builderonline.com/business/flood-rules-in-flux-part-two.aspx?rssLink=Flood+Rules+in+Flux%2c+Part+IIUpdates on Zones A, V, and Coastal A http://www.builderonline.com/business/flood-rules-in-flux-part-one.aspx?rssLink=Flood+Rules+in+Flux%2c+Part+IBuilders and developers grapple with rising tide of regulations.http://www.builderonline.com/sales-and-marketing/hallmark-communities-expands-fire-rebuild-program.aspx?rssLink=Hallmark+Communities+Expands+Fire+Rebuild+ProgramHallmark Communities is offering burned-out owners in greater San Diego three different ways they can rebuild their homes that were damaged or destroyed by wildfires in late October. The builder has reassembled the same six-person rebuild team that it used four years ago, the last time fires swept through San Diego.http://www.builderonline.com/sales-and-marketing/builders-poised-to-rebuild-after-southern-califor.aspx?rssLink=Builders+Poised+to+Rebuild+After+Southern+California+FiresAs of late Monday home builders were still assessing the damage from the weekend fires in Malibu, Calif., that destroyed 53 homes and damaged another 34. The state Office of Emergency Services (OES) said the Malibu fire, which was caused by an undetermined human intervention, was 90 percent contained by 1 p.m. eastern time Monday.http://www.builderonline.com/codes-and-standards/facing-fire-607486.aspx?rssLink=Facing+Fire-607486When the June 2007 Angora Fire burned its way into the residential streets of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., firefighters were ready. The neighborhoods, unfortunately, were not.http://www.builderonline.com/master-planned-communities/fire-safety-program-saves-five-san-diego-communit.aspx?rssLink=Fire+Safety+Program+Saves+Five+San+Diego+CommunitiesOne bit of good news that came out of last week's fires in Southern California is that fire officials determined that at least five master planned communities in San Diego County's Rancho Santa Fe area survived because builders used a fire-protection program known as shelter-in-place. "Shelter-in-place worked brilliantly during this last fire," said Mick Pattinson, CEO of home builder Barratt American. "Not a single home was lost," he said, adding that his company plans to use the shelter-in-place concept for its next project, a 1,380-unit master planned community in Santee, Calif.http://www.builderonline.com/design/new-sustainable-disaster-resistant-concept-house.aspx?rssLink=New+Sustainable%2c+Disaster-Resistant%2c+Concept+HouseBuilders, architects, urban planners, and sustainability experts held a design charrette on Oct. 24 to come up with floor plans, construction processes, and product suggestions for Concept House Charleston in South Carolina, the second PATH Concept Home and the first in the Southeastern U.S.http://www.builderonline.com/business/builders-look-to-fires-aftermath.aspx?rssLink=Builders+Look+To+Fire's+AftermathMick Pattinson, CEO of home builder Barratt American in Carlsbad, Calif., is a lucky man. Unlike 1,342 households that had their homes destroyed by the 18 fires that swept through seven Southern California counties the past several days, Pattinson returned to his home yesterday. Pattinson said Barratt American and the home building industry stand ready to rebuild the area. He said it pained him to see one report on a local TV news station about a family that lost their home in 2003 and was still living in a trailer. They then lost the trailer home in this most recent fire.http://www.builderonline.com/null/return-from-exile.aspx?rssLink=Return+from+ExileTEMPORARY HOUSING HAS A WAY OF BECOMING permanent, as evidenced by the fact that many South Florida residents still live in FEMA trailers more than a decade after Hurricane Andrew. An as-yet-unknown number of Katrina and Rita evacuees in Louisiana may sidestep that fate and return to their former neighborhoods now that a prototype for safer, more sustainable (and prettier) post-disaster housing has received federal funding.