I did work on a home on the Jersey shore that got hit hard by both Irene and then Sandy.
House sits about 20ft above sea level I believe high tide with rough seas produces sea spray that hits you in the rear of the yard.
When they were building it I was constantly saying to myself this is definitely way over kill.
2x10 framed exterior walls, 2x8 & 2x6 interior walls and I believe 3/4" plywood sheathing, I can't remember if they used Tyvek or something else over the sheathing. But then they installed storm hidden rollup shutters on every exterior window and door, and then 3-inches off face of framed home tied into the framed home with 12 reinforced concrete block walls all the way up to the roof line with all the reinforcement, rebars, concrete fill, wire between courses, and then stucco.
When Irene hit, they had not damage except plantings
When Sandy hit they lost all the vegetation, exterior fence in the back of the home including the grass and part of the sea wall, and except for water from the flood height in the basement, the rest of the house was pretty much just exterior cosmetics.
The homes along the coast to the north and south that were just wood construction, well were inline with what the OP picture looked like.
There is a reason its called a minimum code, but quality always seems to show why it is quality, and I no longer think they over built the home.
