Ever experienced a natural disaster?

[Simworm]

As many of you know, Christchurch has had 3 pretty big earthquakes in the past 10 months(magnitudes 7.1, 6.3, 6.3). Living here has been a bit scary during that time but lucky for me I haven't had any damage to my home or things inside my home and I don't know personally know anyone who was killed. A family friend was crushed in one of the building on February 22 and is now learning to walk again and that same girl lost an aunty in the same building. The September 4 earthquake was terrifying as I had never experience anything like it and I thought maybe it was the end of the world, that I was at least going to die by my house falling on me or something. It was sooooo violent and lasted about 30 seconds - it was perhaps the longest 30 seconds of my life. The good thing about that day was no one died(most were in bed at 4.35am) and only one was left with major injuries. February 22 was very scary again and everyone knew immeadiately that it was bigger than a 6(you become really good at guessing magnitudes after 5 months of afterschocks) and that people had died. It was lunch time. Everyone had returned to a normal state of life and people were too use to the fact that no one had died in any of the aftershocks. I was at Borders bookshop with a friend, I had books flying at me, ceiling tiles falling everywhere and I had to tower over my 11 month old son to protect him from the ceiling tiles. I was actually expecting to wake up in a hospital or something from being knocked out. However, I was very lucky as I had not a scratch on me and my house was quite untouched. June 13 wasn't as big for me considering I was at home and all I got out of that one was that sea sick feeling. Anyway, that is my kinda brief experience of a natural disaster, it has literally shaken me to the core though and changed my mindset in many ways and I don't take anything for granted anymore. I realise I'm not alone and that these things happen all the time and that comparatively Christchurch is very well equipped for a disaster such as this. I wonder, what is your experience of natural disaster???

[Fran]

@ Simworm

Lord that sounds truly scary. I've never experienced anything even remotely like an earthquake .. the worst we have here is a couple of weeks very cold snowy weather last winter! And of course the ash cloud from the volcano in Iceland upset a lot of travel plans.
Reading your post made me realize how very ungrateful we are. Thank you for reminding me of how much we have to be grateful for.

[Bighuey]

Something like that makes a person realize how insignifacant we are up against mother nature. We get a few tremors here once in a while but nothing serious as yet. About the only thing like that that has ever happened to me , I was on a roller coaster in San Francisco during an earthquake. I didnt know there was an earthquake until after the ride was done. I dont know how strong it was but I remember there were a few broken windows, stuff all over the floors of the concession stands, people standing around in groups talking excitedly. I was only 12 years old at the time and I thought it was cool but now it would scare the hell out of me.

[Melaniep]

I grew up in Washington state, one of the quieter spots in the Ring of Fire. So yes, I've been in several Earthquakes in my life, but none of them serious. The worst one I remember happened during my Junior year of high school. I was in class at the time, working on a group project. My friend Ashley and I thought that our friend Tony was shaking his leg and that was shaking our desks. But then we realized it was an earthquake and crawled under our desks. On the way down, I glanced out the window and saw the pavement had rolling waves like the ocean. Insane. Nobody was killed in that earthquake, save for an elderly man who died of a heart attack. There was damage to a lot of buildings, but nothing serious. If I remember correctly, it was a 7.7 on the Richter scale but a mile below the surface.

Now I live in Wisconsin. I've had several tornado warnings, a few have touched down pretty nearby, but none have actually hit me or my home. I consider it as only a matter of time.

[StephenKingman]

Never, thank God. The closest we get to disasters here is a week or two of heavy snow each November. No tornadoes, flash floods or earthquakes so im extremely lucky to be living in safe old Ireland and, having read your account, i have to say that im sorry you have to live under such circumstances and im grateful for the life i have here...

[Bighuey]

No matter where you are, most places have natural disasters of some kind. Tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes tidal waves About 20 miles south of where I live there are volcanoes, one of them you can see puffs of smoke coming out of it once in a while. Ireland sounds like a good safe place except for the cold and snow.

[StephenKingman]

Ireland sounds like a good safe place except for the cold and snow.

Well to be fair, before 2009, Ireland didnt have heavy snow for years so the bad weather is just a sign that the overall climate change the planet is experiencing has finally spread to our little corner. But you are right, it is a very safe place in terms of no natural disasters etc. The leprachauns can be annoying but no more so than any other flocks of farmyard animals, i guess it depends if you prefer the city or the country!

[Simworm]

No matter where you are, most places have natural disasters of some kind. Tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes tidal waves About 20 miles south of where I live there are volcanoes, one of them you can see puffs of smoke coming out of it once in a while. Ireland sounds like a good safe place except for the cold and snow.

This is the reason I hold for not leaving Christchurch like so many others have. I feel that no matter where I go I am always at risk of natural disaster. One day Wellington will fall into the ocean, pretty much all of our volcanos are overdue(most in Auckland, Taupo, Mt Ruapehu), and one of our main faults(alpine) is overdue too. Australia has floods, bush fires etc I really couldn't go anywhere else that would make me feel "safer" from natural disaster. Since my house in entact and we live on solid ground(unlike swampland in the eastern suburbs), my study hasn't been affected nor has my husband's job, we are still all good to be living here. I do, of course, understand those who have left too but I feel for me it would be pointless to leave for the reason of "getting away" from earthquakes.

[Bighuey]

Even if a person found a place where there are no earthquakes,etc. you could be killed by robbers breaking into your house. Nothing is 100 percent safe, its just a part of life and we have to learn to deal with things like that and not get paranoid over it.

[Fran]

Ireland sounds like a good safe place except for the cold and snow.

Well to be fair, before 2009, Ireland didnt have heavy snow for years so the bad weather is just a sign that the overall climate change the planet is experiencing has finally spread to our little corner. But you are right, it is a very safe place in terms of no natural disasters etc. The leprachauns can be annoying but no more so than any other flocks of farmyard animals, i guess it depends if you prefer the city or the country!

Oh Mike I wouldn't let them hear you saying that ...

[Maud Fitch]

...Australia has floods, bush fires etc I really couldn't go anywhere else that would make me feel "safer" from natural disaster...

Considering Australia is the size of Europe and then some, I think we could find you a safe place to live! Seriously though, home is where the heart is and if you and your family are together, nothing else matters, you can overcome all obstacles.

(PS: I've lived through two natural disasters, raging floods which wiped out hundreds of thousands of homes, industry, produce, livestock, roads and communication networks and once the danger was past, everyone got on with it. Life marches on).

[Simworm]

I suppose Australia might have somewhere safe for me, I have actually lightly considered/am considering moving to Melbourne - but not for the sake of being "safe" or getting away from quakes.

Life certainly does march on, I think that has been a good thing to witness. Most people recover quite fast, they get in and lend a hand to their neighbours in need and help people get back to a state of normality. At other times though it's tough for some because as soon as life completely settles here, it seems we have yet another damaging quake. Luckily, we both live in countries where the recovery for natural disasters is quite speedy. Australia has had a pretty tough year this year too with those floods and cyclones. Did you have any damage where you are in Queensland with the floods?

[TagBag]

earthquake!!!
it was so terrible

[Aileenhu]

Christchurch sounded pretty bad when we heard it all the way up in Auckland.

No, I have not experienced an earthquake. But Auckland has had tiny hurricane winds and tiny earthquakes. Nothing major that is.

[andr70]

Actually I was a witness of a little earthquake.
But it was not so terrible, and rather strange. I mean that I've felt some vibrations in my house and nothing else. After that I've switched on the news and knew that it was the second wave of the earthquake from Asia!