My vote goes to tornados! They can just pop up out of nowhere and destroy everything in mere minutes. With the other disasters, you can at least get away from them. You can either get advanced notice, or you're just paranoid enough not live there to begin with. IMHO!!
Poll: Natural disaster
- Thread starter knight steel
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A Lot of people are say volcano's but remember just because It's not in the poll doesn't mean you can't mention-feel free to bring up the plague or other such things ^_^
I've been in all of those with the exceptions of tsunami and volcanoes. Far and away, the worst was being in a wildfire. The 2007 San Diego wildfire was really, really bad, as we were basically surrounded.
Earthquakes can be bad, but the worst I've been in is a 5.2. Tornadoes, while scary, typically move in one direction and are easy to avoid. Blizzards suck, but they aren't that bad. Floods are nasty, but again, the water recedes.
Typhoons/hurricanes are quite strange. I've been in two, and they were about as different from each other as the sun and the moon. The first had biblical amounts of rain, with minimal winds (~75mph at its worst). The second, had next to no rain, but winds that topped ~150mph, and consistent winds of ~100mph. The second was more frightening than the first because you quite literally, had to dodge flying debris when moving from building to building (thanks Korean public school, for making me come to school to defend it that day).
Earthquakes can be bad, but the worst I've been in is a 5.2. Tornadoes, while scary, typically move in one direction and are easy to avoid. Blizzards suck, but they aren't that bad. Floods are nasty, but again, the water recedes.
Typhoons/hurricanes are quite strange. I've been in two, and they were about as different from each other as the sun and the moon. The first had biblical amounts of rain, with minimal winds (~75mph at its worst). The second, had next to no rain, but winds that topped ~150mph, and consistent winds of ~100mph. The second was more frightening than the first because you quite literally, had to dodge flying debris when moving from building to building (thanks Korean public school, for making me come to school to defend it that day).
I'd have to go for a breakout of some horrible disease. So many natural disasters can kill a person within a matter of minutes, minimizing the pain compared to something that slowly kills over the course of a few weeks. It might not lead to the same level of devastation that other natural disasters can lead to, but the degree of human suffering seems like it would be worse.
As far as other disasters:
I was in an earthquake once and was only a few miles away from the epicenter, and I even had relatives feeling it from a few states away. Definitely scary, since I really had nowhere to go when it hit, but it wasn't as bad as other things. Maybe would have been worse if I was in a country where buildings weren't built as well as they are here.
I've also been in a city that got flooded, though I lived towards the top of a rise and wasn't personally affected by it. It was sort of a shock for the community, but to most it just seemed like an annoyance, especially to the rich people who's favorite mall was closed for a couple weeks because the first floor got flooded.
Was also in a tornado once. Left quite a bit of devastation, but no one was killed. Somewhat scary when you realize what is going on. I do have family in Kansas who say they've seen a couple tornados, but they didn't seem too worried about them. Then again, they live in an area of Kansas that doesn't get hit as hard. I'd imagine their perspective would be different if they lived just a little further south (Oklahoma has gotten hit hard the last couple of years).
I've also been in a blizzard and never want to see snow again. Then again, I had to work outside during the blizzard, so my perspective is a little more negative than most people's. Still, being trapped in your house, having to brave slick roads if you can get out of your house, and likely being without power for a long time is no fun. Not to mention, the lack of power means that you'd better have good insulation in your house, or you are going to be really, really cold. It also doesn't help that it generally brings out the worst in people, but I've also worked in a retail store shortly before a blizzard, so again, my experience may be worse than most people's.
Finally, there is the dreaded hurricane. I grew up in Florida, and couldn't even escape hurricanes when I was in Virginia. They can be frightening, but I love watching rain, so it isn't all bad for me. Still, when the power goes out and there is absolutely nothing to do, it can get boring, especially when the power remains off for days after the hurricane leaves. Thankfully, unlike with blizzards, I've never been forced to work outside during a hurricane. I've also never had to evacuate from one, though I've always had a plan in case that does happen (i.e. go northwest, maybe visiting my family in Kansas while I'm at it and praying that no tornadoes decide to find me there).
As far as other disasters:
I was in an earthquake once and was only a few miles away from the epicenter, and I even had relatives feeling it from a few states away. Definitely scary, since I really had nowhere to go when it hit, but it wasn't as bad as other things. Maybe would have been worse if I was in a country where buildings weren't built as well as they are here.
I've also been in a city that got flooded, though I lived towards the top of a rise and wasn't personally affected by it. It was sort of a shock for the community, but to most it just seemed like an annoyance, especially to the rich people who's favorite mall was closed for a couple weeks because the first floor got flooded.
Was also in a tornado once. Left quite a bit of devastation, but no one was killed. Somewhat scary when you realize what is going on. I do have family in Kansas who say they've seen a couple tornados, but they didn't seem too worried about them. Then again, they live in an area of Kansas that doesn't get hit as hard. I'd imagine their perspective would be different if they lived just a little further south (Oklahoma has gotten hit hard the last couple of years).
I've also been in a blizzard and never want to see snow again. Then again, I had to work outside during the blizzard, so my perspective is a little more negative than most people's. Still, being trapped in your house, having to brave slick roads if you can get out of your house, and likely being without power for a long time is no fun. Not to mention, the lack of power means that you'd better have good insulation in your house, or you are going to be really, really cold. It also doesn't help that it generally brings out the worst in people, but I've also worked in a retail store shortly before a blizzard, so again, my experience may be worse than most people's.
Finally, there is the dreaded hurricane. I grew up in Florida, and couldn't even escape hurricanes when I was in Virginia. They can be frightening, but I love watching rain, so it isn't all bad for me. Still, when the power goes out and there is absolutely nothing to do, it can get boring, especially when the power remains off for days after the hurricane leaves. Thankfully, unlike with blizzards, I've never been forced to work outside during a hurricane. I've also never had to evacuate from one, though I've always had a plan in case that does happen (i.e. go northwest, maybe visiting my family in Kansas while I'm at it and praying that no tornadoes decide to find me there).
Volcano is the worse.
I do not think a tectonic plate ever "tipped" over and destroyed everything in lava. Granted super tsunami's have killed millions but high ground trumps it.
Volcano's litter Earth history in death and destruction. Pompeii, Fuji, Kilimanjaro, Krakatoa etc. Have all annihilated civilizations. The next one on the list will be Yellowstone Super Volcano. 34 by 45 mile long caldera. it is 40,000 years overdue to a eruption that will end human life on this planet.
I do not think a tectonic plate ever "tipped" over and destroyed everything in lava. Granted super tsunami's have killed millions but high ground trumps it.
Volcano's litter Earth history in death and destruction. Pompeii, Fuji, Kilimanjaro, Krakatoa etc. Have all annihilated civilizations. The next one on the list will be Yellowstone Super Volcano. 34 by 45 mile long caldera. it is 40,000 years overdue to a eruption that will end human life on this planet.
As someone who lives in Australia and was around during the Black Saturday and Ash Wednesday fires... Yeah, them.
Faster than you would believe. You'd hear there was a fire a few kms off coming that way, and 5 minutes later your house would be ashes. There are pictures of firemen in trucks driving away from what is literally a wall of fire tens of meters high. Odds are they didn't make it - the fire will outrun any car, and its luck as to whether you'll escape if you don't leave early.
Nothing can save you. They'll boil lakes in minutes, rooms become ovens, cars become tombs. Its also a horrible way to go, burning to death. Granted you'd probably be dead from the intense heat before the flames got to your body, but that's still not pleasant.
The amount of destruction they can cause, with little to no warning, is incredible. I'm lucky I've always lived in safe areas. Some of my friends... Not so much.
Faster than you would believe. You'd hear there was a fire a few kms off coming that way, and 5 minutes later your house would be ashes. There are pictures of firemen in trucks driving away from what is literally a wall of fire tens of meters high. Odds are they didn't make it - the fire will outrun any car, and its luck as to whether you'll escape if you don't leave early.
Nothing can save you. They'll boil lakes in minutes, rooms become ovens, cars become tombs. Its also a horrible way to go, burning to death. Granted you'd probably be dead from the intense heat before the flames got to your body, but that's still not pleasant.
The amount of destruction they can cause, with little to no warning, is incredible. I'm lucky I've always lived in safe areas. Some of my friends... Not so much.
Depends on whether we're talking by themselves or factoring in frequency.
Because if you mean what is worst by itself, volcano is a no brainer. A good sized volcano can easily wipe out a continent.
However, volcanoes don't happen often.
Because if you mean what is worst by itself, volcano is a no brainer. A good sized volcano can easily wipe out a continent.
However, volcanoes don't happen often.
I would have to agree with Shinsei-J on this one. Wildfires are fairly horrendous destructive forces, and this is coming from a guy who survived two significant earthquakes. (Christchurch earthquakes)Shinsei-J said:
Whirlpools, because people make drowning threads about them 
But wildfire, as an Australian we prepare nationally every spring so we don't burn to death.
But wildfire, as an Australian we prepare nationally every spring so we don't burn to death.