I type like that all the time. Steinberg's point is saying that shit happens encourages people to build stuff in places where shit is more likely to happen. It's used by people who want the state to pay for their high risk behavior. There is also a fundamental difference between say, building on a floodplain and building on higher ground and having the flood plain enlarge because of increased run-off due to suburban sprawl/bad land and water management practices. Steinberg's book is really sharp, and I think his work will deepen your analysis not necessarily change it.

If Steinberg knows a way to prevent natural disasters, that's pretty cool. My guess is that either I'm not getting your point, or your not getting mine, whihc was just that, meterologically and geologically speaking, s**t happens. It's predicatble that earthquakes will happen more frequently along faultlines then elsewhere, but I'm not aware of a prevention mechanism.