There are two ways one might protect communities from natural disasters. One is to minimize the damage from disasters, and the other is to prevent the disasters in the first place. However, preventing disasters is another matter, and in trying to do so, we have to be aware of unintended consequences of our efforts. To address the issues associated with trying to prevent disasters, the author will focus on one disaster-altering effort that has received headline of late--Bill Gates' attempt to stop hurricanes in their tracks. He also explains what causes hurricanes, analyzes what Gates is proposing to stop them, and then talks about possible unintended consequences. (Contains 3 figures.)