I think that is a false perception. The cities around the Salt Lake region are built on high ground because the area immediately around the lake was/is marshy, swampy land. The is also a problem with the dams above the lake. A moderate earthquake above Provo could easily compromise the dams and inundate the homes built near the level of the lake shore.
LDS families who have followed church recommendations are well prepared for emergencies with sufficient food and supplies. That may give the appearance of being "fortified" for an assault. It's not. It's being prepared for unemployment or emergencies.
The calls for a boycott of Utah by the homosexual lobby means more room for others to patronize the resorts and ski slopes. There's always more demand than capacity.
Yeah, they’re built on high ground. Basements surrounded with dirt, narrow windows at the top...defensible communities...”cities” may have been overstating it...