What Kinds of Natural Disasters have you experienced first hand?

[Sandpiper]

Having lived in Missouri, North Carolina, and California, I've pretty much run the gamut.

I've seen a catastrophic flood, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, and forest fire.

[m-jean03]

1. A Broken Heart.

That counts, right?:cry:

[GOPisEvil]

60. Awwww

:hug:

[m-jean03]

76. tis OK

Was long ago, though not forgotten..:) :) You're so nice.

[Zomby Woof]

2. Earthquakes and hurricanes

Oh, and the biggest natural disaster of them all - 3 1/2 years of the Chimp Regime.

[ironflange]

25. That's "Natural," not "National," disasters

:evilgrin:

[Endangered Specie]

3. Numerous Hurrican's

[rockymountaindem]

4. Massive, and I mean really gigantic...

hail storm. Everyone in my neighborhood needed a new roof after that one.

My mom and I were almost home in our car when the hail started. We were out in it for about 90 seconds, and the trunk, hood and roof of our car had to be replaced (and it was an 80's all metal car too, none of this polymer crap).

[Liberal Gramma]

5. volcanic eruption

[Renew Deal]

23. Where was that?

And when?

[SarahB]

6. Tornados and Hurricanes

I grew up in Omaha, so there were many times I had to seek shelter in tornado season. Nothing ever destroyed our house or anything. I found myself at Cape Cod one year during a hurricane. Wasn't a big one though. That's about it as far as natural anyway- many more manmade (or human made).

[Canuckistanian]

7. I was in the tail end of a tornado in a tent

In 1970 in Sudbury, Ont. I was camping with my family.

"My house is blowing away, my house is blowing away," a hysterical female voice over the phone shouted, then the line went dead. That call to a Sudbury radio station was the first hint that a summer thundershower had turned deadly.
On August 20, 1970, a 100-mile-an-hour tornado ripped through northern Ontario mining town of Sudbury and the surrounding communities of Copper Cliff, Lively and Field, without any warning.

[fudge stripe cookays]

41. So you know what a "Sudbury Saturday Night" is really like, eh?

;-)

Scary about the tornado!

[hyphenate]

8. Well.....

I guess a few earthquakes and a hurricane. Though a good thunderstorm is always fun.........

[Piperay]

9. Earthquakes and

brush fires...here in CA.

[Donkeyboy75]

10. I saw me a twister when I lived in Ohio.

Passed about 1/2 mile from our house. I was 6, and it scared the living crap out of me.

[PartyPooper]

11. Hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunami warnings.

Fortunately, the tidal waves never materialized.

:scared:

[MnFats]

12. blizzards. fled floods, tornadoes.

Managed to avoid serious threat from tornadoes, floods through early warning.
photographed aftermath, helped clean up.

of all, getting stranded in a ditch/drift during a blizzard is probably the most frightening. those storms can last a couple of days or more and they're usually followed by bitter cold. you don't know when another soul might pass that point. parts start to go numb. you're trying to remember if you told anyone your exact route and very very pissed at yourself for even trying to make this trip now....
and then some blessed soul comes along and happens to have a chain and he's very happy to pull you out....

oh, and helped sandbag the great Red River flood of ,,,,, God, how long ago was that? 96? 93?
the same flood in which a big chunk of downtown Grand Fords burned up and there wasn't a damn thing they could do about it...I remember piling sandbags along a series of back yards to a height of six or eight feet. normally there was a little stream past these idyllic homes but now, standing on the grass handing up the sandbags, the water on the other side of the dike is well over your head. If the dike breaks, the water is going to be level with the ceiling of the first-floor rooms.
there were about 35 people working to save this guy's home. I asked how many of them he knew. 'About a dozen,' he said. Most of them were people he'd never laid eyes on.
Interesting.

[woofless]

13. Hurricanes in Florida

Tornados and floods in Missouri and now I live about 30 miles from an active volcano. Hope Mt Baker doesn't blow!

[bubblesby2002]

56. We all hope Mt Baker

doesn't blow. Even here on the island.

[Lars39]

14. oops!

[AngryAmish]

15. Flood and tornado

[Burma Jones]

16. My List

Three Tornadoes

Hurricane Camille (on my tenth Birthday)

TS Agnes (much flooding)

Small Earthquake

[Dogmudgeon]

17. It wasn't natural, but ...

... I lived through an explosion of combustible alcohol gas.

I was using generic Lysol spray and it exploded when a broken space heater (installed by the slumlord) kicked on and sparked. I had first and second degree burns from my chest up. Amazingly, I had almost no pain for the better part of five hours -- I was able to walk to the ER and was triaged after a multi-car accident flooded the place with near-death car accident victims.

Just one of those normal events of my life.

--bkl
Rare.

[NightTrain]

18. The 1980 presidential election.

n/t

[JM]

19. The Pittsburgh tornado of 1998

went right over my house. I was on the porch watching it until I realized it was coming at us. I made it into the living room when it passed over us. Fortunately it wasn't on the ground in our neighborhood. Granted it was only an F1, but it did some damage on Mt. Washington and it was certainly unusual to see one in Pittsburgh.

JM

[RebelOne]

20. Hurricanes, lots of hurricanes.

I lived in South Florida for a long time and have been through many hurricanes.

[DS1]

21. I took a shit in Tijuana once, and am scarred for life

Hell, it made the Peoples' Republik look like Buckingham Fookin' Palace!

[radwriter0555]

77. Nah, Tijuana is PARADISE compared to the toilets in Cinque Terre Italy,

TRUST me.

The bathrooms in that train station were THE FILTHIEST, foulest, most disgusting THINGS I have ever witnessed.

Tijuana is pristine, clean, sparkly and shiney by comparison.

[Renew Deal]

22. Hurricane, Tropical Storm, very mild flooding and earthquakes.

[LynneSin]

24. Near-miss Nuclear Disaster

I lived near TMI.

[DS1]

26. If they nearly missed... what's a near hit?

[LynneSin]

33. I don't think I'd be here posting if I knew

:eyes:

[DS1]

34. Think about it

[Catfight]

27. Blizzard of '78!

[NightTrain]

40. Christ, do I remember that one!

I was 11 years old at the time. That blizzard made for the most harrowing school bus ride I ever took! And walking home from the bus stop with snow up to my knees, and the wind whipping it directly into my eyes, was an experience, too.

[MissMillie]

65. Me too! As well as

Hurricane Gloria (I think in '85(?))

[ironflange]

28. Various odds and ends

I've felt small earthquakes.

Seen a couple of tremendous hailstorms, one of them made my nice garden smell like a salad bar and look like the contents of Old Country Buffet's dumpster.

I was flying to Europe the day of the Pine Lake, Alberta tornado, the one that busted up the campground. We had to fly around the cloud, and I could hardly see the top of it, even at cruising altitude. We figured there was some bad shit going on down there, but didn't know for sure until we got to London.

[HEyHEY]

29. Nothing ever happens in BC except rockslides and avalanches

I heard/felt a rockslide once, I was flyfishing in a tiny little lake in the Taseko lake area. Suddenly it felt like a jet went by rumble rumble...and I could see the lake rippling.

On the boat ride back down river we saw where some of the mountain had given way.

Alo, I was once in a gale force storm on a 110 foot schooner of the coast of Vancouver Island - YAR!

[ironflange]

30. We were crossing from Tsawwassan to Swartz once

In a full gale. We had been riding along for at least two hours when I looked out to starboard and saw the lights of Vancouver. I think we had been going backwards the whole time.

[Alpharetta]

31. baldness

and a tornado shredded my house and pancaked my car

but the baldness bothered me more

I got over both, though. :)

[Kali]

32. Drouth

53 years of rain records here at my house, in the last 5 years we have had three of the 5 lowest total rainfalls. The yearly average until 1992 was16.21 inches since then it has dropped to15.58. In the last ten years only one year went above average and 3 were below 10 inches. We use a hundred year old hand dug well that is 25 feet deep, normally the water level is about ten to fifteen feet below the surface - thelast 6 or 7 years it has dropped to below the 20 ft level. For those of you who know what mesquite trees are and how tough they are - I have areas that have lost mesquites! This winter has not been too bad - almost up to average and I feel like I'm living in a jungle! Had actual weeds in the yard this spring!

[greendog]

35. Two simultaneous 50,000 acre forest fires....

The Wedge Canyon Fire was just a few miles north and the Robert Fire was just a few miles south.

[Mobius]

36. well I have traveled a bit, Tornado, earthquake, hurricane

and volcanic eruption, although that was intentional to take photos.

[RoyGBiv]

52. Lots of Tornadoes

Before I moved to another part of OK, I volunteered as a storm spotter for the county Civil Defense/Emergency Management. I saw pretty much every tornado that went through the county during an eight year period, worked several clean-up and rescue operations, and was almost in several of those. I remember one that formed less than a hundred yards from my vehicle. I remember the taste of the dirt in the ditch even better.

A case of Dr. Pepper, some old Metallica (Ride the Lightning is especially good), a souped up Chevy truck, thunder, lightning, hail, and screaming winds ... ahh, the good old days ...

[TroubleMan]

37. Tornado, hurricane, typhoon, earthquake

Tornado and hurricane in Florida

Typhoon in Okinawa

Earthquake in California

[St. Jarvitude]

38. Mostly Tornadoes. A couple (very small) earthquakes.

Living in suburban Chicago, I've dealt with my fair share of tornadoes in the area. None have directly affected the area I live in, but a bunch cause damage within a 10 mile radius. Scary stuff.

One of the earthquakes happened a few years ago. The epicenter was out by Woodstock, Illinois, I believe. It was about a 2 or 3. Barely felt it at all.

Another one happened while I was on vacation in LA. The epicenter was nearby, but again, it was only a "routine" 3 or 4 Richter earthquake. That's not to say I couldn't really feel that one. :)

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

39. Hurricane Isabel.

[BlueStateGirl]

42. Volcanic eruption. (Mt. Etna in Sicily), assorted hurricanes.

[KG]

43. Hurricane Kate, 1985

no power for 19 hours. got scary there for awhile, but could been worse.

[fudge stripe cookays]

44. None, believe it or not!

The closest I've been would be the horrible floods in Austin in 1981 (many people died).

The rains went on and on for about 2 whole months of torrential WETNESS.

I can remember moving from Virginia to Texas when I was 4, and seeing the results of Hurricane Camille. It looked like a hand had come up out of the ocean, broken a house in two, and taken the other half out to sea.

When I was younger, the sky would go a little yellow or green, and dad would make me get in the bathtub with a pillow and blanket, but thank God, I never had one hit close to home. I'm hoping that doesn't change!

[Bridget Burke]

45. Hurricane Carla & Hurricane Alicia

Safe enough in sturdy buildings far from any body of water....

And a bunch of flooding in Houston. But, living in the Heights, I've been spared direct contact with the flood waters.

[bratcatinok]

69. I played with my Barbie doll

in the dark during Hurricane Carla. I had moved from Houston by the time Alicia hit.

[SW FL Dem]

46. Tornado, 3 earthquakes, 3 tropical storms and too many

brush fires to count. I have to admit that hurricanes scare me the least. With today's technology, you have plenty of time to get out and save what you care about.

[Arugula Latte]

47. '89 Bay Area quake

... sweaty palms on the freeways there ever since.

[TrogL]

48. Tornado, forest fire, ice jam, blizzard,sleet storm, drought, flood

[ornotna]

49. Lets see...

Sand storms in the Middle East, Blizzards in New York, earthquakes and forest fires in California and hurricanes, tornadoes and floods in Florida.

[Fleshdancer]

50. earthquake, tornado, flood, hurricane. n/t

[Richard D]

51. A few

Earthquakes, Downhill from a dam rupturing, several brush fires, tail end of a tropical storm.

[ForrestGump]

53. Hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruption (ash), floods, landslides,

forest fire, blizzard (small one), ice storms, sandstorms. Lots of gales and tropical storms, too.

Also been around tornoadoes but haven't seen one. In no hurry to add that to the list.

[kodi]

54. earthquake, hurricane, flooding, mother-in-law

.

[doc03]

55. Tornado and several Ohio river floods

When I was around 6 years old a tornado past our house and skipped from one side of the road to the other taking out a few trees and
roofs on the way.

[qwertyMike]

57. My first wife

[LWolf]

58. Earthquake, flood, tornado, wildfire. n/t

[Bertha Venation]

59. earthquake (scores), one tornado, one hurricane

Life on planet earth is fascinating.

[GOPisEvil]

61. Tornado and earthquake.

Tornadoes really do sound like freight trains, and there really is this sense of quiet before they hit.

I slept through the 4.5 earthquake, so I guess I didn't really experience it fully. :D

[noonwitch]

62. Tornados, and the tremors in 1998

I've had two close encounters with tornados. One was when I was little and my dad outdrove one with the car, when all of us were with him. The other was when the tornado ripped through Detroit/Highland Park/Hamtrammck. I lived a block north of Highland Park, and my pets would not evacuate to the basement with me, so we sat in the hallway. It hit about a half mile south of my house.

We had that tremor in Michigan in 1998-it was mile, like a 3 on the richter scale. I was at my office, at that time a 7 story building in the New Center area. I worked on the 4th floor. I got really dizzy for a second, then everything rattled for about 30 seconds-the cube walls, the windows, the stuff on my desk. I didn't really realize what had happened until I got in my car and they said on the radio there had been some kind of seismic event.

[Hand]

63. Flood, hurricane, HUGE blizzard...

And all within one year, no less! 2003-2004 wasn't a great year for weather in Nova Scotia...

Nasty flooding in April 2003...
Hurricane Juan in October 2003...
Worst recorded blizzard in February 2004 (three feet plus in 24 hours)...

All we need now is one of these: :nuke:

[democratreformed]

64. flood, tornado, ice storm

[tsakshaug]

66. several

tornados, hurricanes (parked my renault under a tree for one-the tree fell the wrong way) 1 earthquake, hail, flooding, pollen, attack by bees, rockslide, blizzards, ice storms

[THUNDER HANDS]

67. anyone in NY remember Hurricane Gloria?

From the early to mid 1980s.

That was my first and only hurricane.

[TXlib]

68. Blizzard (of '78), Hurricane Gloria, floods, ice storms.

[SoCalDem]

70. Tornados ,hurricanes, earthquakes

That is all:)

[Misunderestimator]

71. Catastrophic flood, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, and forest fire

(minus the earthquake) yep... that about sums it up. Add to that blizzards and toilets overflowing for me. :)

Oh yeah, and fire ants. :) :)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

72. Toddler (nt)

[Rabrrrrrr]

73. Eclipses of both sun and moon, planetary alignments, and Y2K

Oh, wait, those are natural disasters for the astrologers and uninformed and Christian fundamentalists.

For me, earthquakes (been in a number of 'em, but by God I slept through every one of 'em, so I still really don't know what it's like to be in one), tornados, and one big tsunami alert that ended up being about 2 inches by the time it hit shore.

I've been in flooded areas after flooding, but never during a flooding.

We had a lot of forest fires near places where I and/or my relatives lived in WI, but I never got to see one firsthand, though I've seen the damage from them.

The lava flows I've seen have been at Kilauea, and was never in any real danger (some, of course, because one never knows what might happen, but it was part of this 25 year constant slow eruption of the volcano, so really, not much danger there).

So, basically, other than a tornado, i've lucked out on natural disasters.

[Pithlet]

74. Tornados and hurricanes.

Torandoes were the scariest, because you don't get much advance warning like you do with hurricanes.

[ScreamingMeemie]

75. Tornado.

and three pregnancy losses. :(

[dawn]

78. Earthquakes (lived 1/2 mile from epicenter of one), fires.