Wednesday's Question of the Day: Natural Disasters

swampwitch · Jul 10, 2012

What are the natural disaster hazards where you live? Which one is the scariest to you?

Here on the Pacific Rim, we have earthquakes, storms with hurricane-force winds (up to 158 km/hr or about 100 mi/hr), tsunamis, storm surges, and even blizzards once in a while. Earthquakes are my least favorite natural disaster of all!

Growing up in Texas I feared tornadoes and had many nightmares with tornadoes as a kid! Texas has lots to choose from, with excessive heat, drought, floods, hurricanes, ice storms, etc. etc. that list goes on.

mani · Jul 10, 2012

We have severe storms in summer, and are on the edge of cyclonic activity.

Last January there were huge floods in Brisbane (I'm on the coast and so pretty immune).

When I was a child I remember the terrifying Tasmanian bushfires that came so close to the capital city.

Fire is the one I think I fear most. But I talk to friends in New Zealand who have been in some appalling earthquakes, and I think if I'd had that experience I wouldn't forget it in a hurry...

Willowy · Jul 10, 2012

You name it, we got it! Except hurricanes and tsunamis. . .:tongue2:. And there hasn't been an earthquake for a long time, but no guarantees.

There were floods last year, a few tornados earlier this year, right now a drought is killing the crops, blizzards every winter, sometimes ice storms take the power lines down, a big fire out west killed some firefighters (well, the fire didn't kill them; their firefighting plane crashed), straightline winds took out some trees last year, and a couple years ago there was softball-sized hail!

jcat · Jul 10, 2012

We get severe storms in the summer and hurricanes in late fall/early winter. There are earthquakes occasionally, but I haven't experienced a big one and hope I never do. Flooding is really common. A tornado (very uncommon) hit our county seat a week and a half ago.

Willowy · Jul 10, 2012

I was born in California, raised in Japan. . .and oddly, now I miss earthquakes! I was never in a big destructive one--that would be super scary--but I miss all the small earthquakes and the general "quakiness" of those places. The earth is just too steady here! Funny what you miss when you get used to something.

trouts mom · Jul 11, 2012

Ice storms? I have never seen one though, but there was a bad one in 1998. (I lived out of town at that time)

rosiemac · Jul 11, 2012

None fortunately in my town, but just 10 minutes up the road to the next town they've got their homes submerged in water due to heavy storms and floods

AbbysMom · Jul 11, 2012

Hurricanes, blizzards and as the area found out in a major way a few years back, flooding.

Winchester · Jul 11, 2012

Hurricanes (Agnes in '72), flooding (just last year), drought, blizzards, tornadoes, ice storms. You name it, we'll get it at one time or another. We felt Virginia's earthquake (I think that was last year, but I don't remember).

Since we're way up on a hill, we don't have to worry about flooding ourselves, but all of our towns are right along the Susquehanna, so it's a big deal in our area. We don't get tornadoes that often, but they have come through the area several times.

Draco · Jul 11, 2012

Hurricanes and Blizzards. Does heat-waves count too?

MoochNNoodles · Jul 11, 2012

We kind of sit in a place where we either miss stuff or get it. We get hurricanes, tornadoes (small ones, but still!), blizzards, ice storms, storm surges are less common but they happen. I guess being coastal we do have the threat of a tsunami but since I'm on the Atlantic side of things much less likely. We did feel that earthquake last year though. We've had flooding nearby; but our land is very sandy so even with the hurricane last year we had no drainage problems; thank the Lord! Some fields nearby flooded good though. I think tornadoes, fire and blizzards are the worst for me. Blizzards only because we have well water so loosing power also means loosing water. We lost power during those back to back blizards in 2010 when DD was just 4 weeks old. We kept her bundled all day; but when the temp in the house hit 50 and the sun went down...well then I got nervous.

nanner · Jul 11, 2012

Here in NYC, we have blizzards and sometimes hurricanes. But I grew up in Minnesota, and fear tornadoes the most. I have nightmares about them. Tornadoes very rarely strike NYC, but I recognize the warning signs - in the sky (yellowish-green), and by the preceding weather (hot, humid, still) - and when I see these signs, I get very fearful. They usually strike around NYC, if they're in the area, and even that is scary to me. Yikes!

catspaw66 · Jul 11, 2012

In the 18 years I have been in this place, I have been through blizzards, ice storms (Dec 2000, a week witout electricity) wind storms, heavy snows and such. But the natural disaster I fear the most is a direct hit from a tornado. There have been ones close by - less than a mile - but haven't been hit yet

swampwitch · Jul 11, 2012

Draco said:
Hurricanes and Blizzards. Does heat-waves count too?

Heck yeah!

nanner said:
...But I grew up in Minnesota, and fear tornadoes the most. I have nightmares about them. Tornadoes very rarely strike NYC, but I recognize the warning signs - in the sky (yellowish-green), and by the preceding weather (hot, humid, still) - and when I see these signs, I get very fearful. They usually strike around NYC, if they're in the area, and even that is scary to me. Yikes!

I did the exact same things, recognizing the warning signs, you can feel the air pressure drop, too! My sister Linda used to call it "tomato weather" so I wouldn't be so scared.

Ms. Freya · Jul 11, 2012

Ice storms (although they're pretty common and I grew up in a rural area where they knock our power out regularly), so I don't really count them. Strong winds and occassionally tornados, but I've never seen one (and don't want to) and only know of 3 touching down within 3 hours of me in my entire lifespan.

feralvr · Jul 11, 2012

Not too many can be expected in my area. Other than blizzards, ice storms, severe thunderstorms with possible tornadoes. Have never seen a tornado but know that some have come close at times. We have been lucky. Just the typical weather related storms., I guess. Happy to report that.

jcat · Jul 11, 2012

nanner said:
but I recognize the warning signs - in the sky (yellowish-green), and by the preceding weather (hot, humid, still) - and when I see these signs, I get very fearful.

That yellowish-green sky was something I experienced in the Midwest in 2009 - it was really, really scary. The family pets were totally freaking out, too. Luckily it bypassed the town we were in.

margecat · Jul 11, 2012

Winchester said:
Hurricanes (Agnes in '72), flooding (just last year), drought, blizzards, tornadoes, ice storms. You name it, we'll get it at one time or another. We felt Virginia's earthquake (I think that was last year, but I don't remember).

Since we're way up on a hill, we don't have to worry about flooding ourselves, but all of our towns are right along the Susquehanna, so it's a big deal in our area. We don't get tornadoes that often, but they have come through the area several times.

Ditto Pam's post for me (we live not-too-terribly-far-away from each other!). The earthquake was last August. We felt, it, too. I have a phobia about earthquakes, but I was ok after it.

gemlady · Jul 12, 2012

Here in the SW corner of Indiana we have had everything but tsunamis. I've experienced tornadic weather, hurricane force winds (Ike a couple of years ago), floods, blizzards, ice storms, and earthquakes. Right now we have drought conditions and just went through a heat wave - 12 days with temps above 100. And we still have the rest of July and August. :sweat:

libby74 · Jul 12, 2012

Interesting question!

I live in what is referred to as "Tornado Alley". There have been a few touch down here, but nothing incredibly bad.

This is also the land of the ice storm and blizzard, and the "500 Year Floods".

The winter of 2011 set a record for a one-day snowfall; depending on which weather service we listened to it was either just under or just over 2 feet. Four months after that we had the worst windstorm ever recorded here ( not counting tornadoes ). Microbursts of 80 mph had the trees twisting like agitators in a washing machine. Very scary. We were without power for a day and a half.

The 500 Year Flood is supposed to be just that, the Mississippi River goes crazy and takes out acres and acres of farmlands and towns every 500 years or so. We've had 3 of those in the last 40 years.

We're also close enough to the New Madrid fault to feel small earthquakes every so often. Back in the 1800s there was supposedly an earthquake so strong that it made the Mississippi River run backwards.

Wednesday's Question of the Day: Natural Disasters

TCS Member

Thread starter

Moderator and fervent feline fan

TCS Member

Mo(w)gli's can opener

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

At Abby's beck and call

In the kitchen with my cookies

NOT Malfoy!

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

TCS Member

Thread starter

Advisor

TCS Member

Mo(w)gli's can opener

Mentor

TCS Member

TCS Member