> should focus on Disaster Resistant builds

They absolutely do. Look up all the building code changes post Hurricane Andrew in the 90s. Those changes spread through the whole southeast and have made wind almost a non-factor. The problem is and always will be flooding. My house is built above the '100 year flood' line to fit code which helps. The problem is either older houses or houses built in areas that didn't historically flood enough for people to consider it a risk.

> Those changes spread through the whole southeast and have made wind almost a non-factor

This is great, but ugh, I live along the Gulf Coast and for the life of me I don't understand why more people don't build with concrete (block or poured) walls, instead of stick-framed! Sure, you can build wood to withstand wind up to code, but you can't make it termite-proof, of which this region has an abundance.

Some taller apartments I've seen are built with steel frames on the first few floors, then concrete above - is termite resistance the reason?

Probably would take an engineer to answer this question. It's entirely possible that building the first few floors with wood would be more expensive than steel due to the additional lumber needed for strength.