Wooden houses can be insured here, but the premiums are higher. My house is half concrete, half wood and the premiums were little higher than they would have been for an all-concrete structure. Wooden houses are at far higher risk of fire, but if they're properly built they will withstand extremely high winds. Whether the structure is concrete or wood, the key thing is how the roof is attached. If the roof can be pulled off by high winds then the structure will collapse, whatever it's built of. Another factor is the steel rebars used in concrete here - the salt air and water works through to then and they rust inside the walls, destroying any strength the wall had. Many older concrete buildings here show signs of rebar rot.