Natural disasters

[billyro]

No through shear luck.

 

I moved out of Brisbane literaly only weks before Yasi smashed my neighbourhood flat and put my house under water-close run thing, I bet the new owner regreted his purchase :D

If I was further south, I would have helped with the Yasi clean-up. :)

[bben46]

It doesn't matter where you live there is a possibility of some kind of natural disaster. What it is may vary depending on your location. The news media makes far too big of a deal over them. The only thing you can do is either prepare as best you can in advance. Don't wait until its happening to think about preparing for a disaster because then it's too late. Or, if you have enough warning move out the area until it's over. Here is a link to what FEMA recommends you keep on hand http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/index.html

 

In my own 65 years I have been involved in a few natural disasters.

Typhoons on Okinawa (4) - some would now be classed as Category 5.

Hurricanes on US East Coast - North Carolina (2) South Carolina (1) worst one was a Category 4 (Hugo)

Earthquakes - California, Okinawa and Charleston SC (I missed the one last week as I was in Minnesota at the time)

Floods - St. Louis MO, Lexington KY, Burlington Iowa

Sandstorms, Salton Sea in the California Desert, near Tucson Arizona & In New Mexico, just west of El Paso TX

Blizzards - Denver Colorado & Buffalo New York

Ice storms - South Carolina, North Carolina - Not as bad as it sounds, freezing rain, trees fall, power lines break, roads freeze over, lots of wrecks on highways.

Landslide - Central California, Near Salinas - entire hillside slid down

Mudslide - San Diego California - 2 blocks from my house in a development

Flash flood - Anzo Broego desert, California. Sunny day, dry wash suddenly filled with several feet of water

Tsunami - Okinawa - small one 20 foot surge - plenty of warning, no deaths

Tornado - Memphis Tennessee. Jumped over me, damage on both sides - I was part of rescue effort at a trailer park that was wiped out.

Forest fire - Tennessee & Oregon

Brush fire - Los Angeles California, San Diego California,

Water spout (sea going tornado) San Diego California - saw 3 at once just off shore.

 

Have not (yet) been involved with a volcanic eruption, although my oldest son was in Alaska when they had one there. I flew over Mt St Helens 6 months after.