I grew up in Indiana, and I don't know of a house there that doesn't have a basement. I'm sure there are some that don't, especially the new homes that are built. I have never lived in a house that didn't have a basement.

cuz they don't put basements in Texas. depending on where you are, it's either thick clay gumbo or limestone.

My Army Engineer SIL, who just retired, has for years been drawing an underground home, first for practice and then he became fascinated with the idea. One of the Northern (or MidWestern) Universities has an underground library that has a big hole in the middle for gatherings, and to let in light.
SIL wants a greenhouse on top to take advantage of heat rising and sunlight that would be gathered for power. Some of these places can have a herd of cattle grazing on top of it and no one inside would know it.

I'll bet now a lot of these will suddenly become popular.

Where would you put all these earth contact/berm homes in a city? Where would you put all the people that live in the city while you tear everything down to build these shelters or berm homes?

Life is a gamble every day. The near hysteria over the current tornado season will soon be replaced by the next tsunami, earthquake, hurricane or serial killer.

To everything there is a season.

When we were looking to buy a house, we looked at a bermed house with lots of windows facing south. It wasn't dark and damp but we couldn't afford it.

I have a cousin that has one in OK. They have had a moisture issue. Where I live (on a river) A basement, or underground would be one big water well. NO one in our area has anything underground. At least not in the flat land (swamp).

This was my experience in Indiana exactly, and now in Maryland I find most sfhomes do NOT have basements - possibly because they just don't get that kind of severe weather here so it isn't a big concern. The exception would be townhomes, where basements are commonly built to increase house space vertically when there isn't room to do so horizontally.

However, my husband and I DO have a basement in our single family home - it's over 150 years old and not close to comfy but we wouldn't be without it. We've had a few good storms over the years and our neighbors can access our basement even if we aren't home.

A) they do build them - called berm homes. There is one not far from where I live. Interesting concept but like everything else in this world they too come with their own set of problems.

B) They can't be built everywhere. Some places the water table is too high, some places are on bedrock, and in denser populated areas there just isn't the required space.

Now a question for you ... you live in CA. Why don't they build 100% earthquake homes in CA?? Or fireproof homes? Or homes that won't slide down a hill in a mudslide?

So you see ... regardless of where you live, Mother Nature will come a callin. There is no perfect place where you and what you build is completely immune to everything.

Then I guess people who live in flood zones would build their houses on stilts. :-)

My nephew lives in OK and after all of these storms they are looking into building some type of shelter. A tornado just barely missed them but it was scary!