Worst Natural Disaster

R

ras

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What's the worst natural disaster you've been through? At Worldnet Daily there's a poll asking that question. My question: "Is it news that a hurricane is hitting Florida?" Don't hurricanes hit Florida every year? Yes, this is a big one, moving slow with lots of water, but shouldn't the folks in Florida, where hurricanes hit consistently, be prepared and build their homes accordingly?

I've been through my share of hurricanes in Florida and Guam, and earthquakes and wildfires in California to know that you stock up on essentials ahead of time; do what needs to be done leading into the storm and then hunker down and ride it out. Where's the news?
 
I've never been through a hurricane, but while living in the Sierra Mtns., sustained 100+ mph winds and heavy rains/hail (typhoon?) lasted through the night. Been through several small Earthquakes, escaped fire and got flooded out twice in one year.

Maybe the news isn't in the event, but the heartache and headache it causes the people.

As time goes on, I think we'll be seeing a lot more about weather and it's changes, on a global scale. Things are changing, as they often do and I think we'll be seeing more intense, larger and more frequent storms and other natural events.

Anyone remember the moon from 30 years ago? Doesn't the moon of today seem farther away from us? I sure do miss the huge harvest moon of those times. Or, is it my feeble memories? :rolleyes: :D
 
Hurricane Charley August 13th 2004.

ras, Hurricanes are very powerful forces of nature, and are very unpredictable. Charley was tracking to hit the Tampa Bay area and at the last minute made a quick east turn and hit me directly. Charlie was a category 4 storm with 145 mph winds and gusts were measured at 180 mph in Charlorre County, where I live. There is a building code in Florida, houme are build to withstand 120-140 mph winds, but even with that said, my homes room was so badly damaged that water leaked though my ceiling into all the rooms of my house except for the masterbed room and my sons room. Several windows were blown out by flying debris. My pool cage was also ripped down and blew away. I also lost all of my mature oak tree in my backyard, some were 18" inches in diameter and were snapped in half be th winds force. Sure I had water, food, fashlights, and even a generator, but it still hard to be ready for 13 days without electricy, running water, and working sewers, and $35,000 of damage to your home with a $4,500 Hurricane deductable with your insurance. :(

Ron Medise
Port Charlotte (eye of Hurricane Charley)
 
I think the worst disasters are the ones that are completely unexpected. Hurricanes are nasty, but you generally have some time to prepare. Storm Shutters are an example, and while they're not going to save you completely in all cases it's something you could do in the event of a hurricane. Once buildings start blowing over it's kinda a moot point, but that's another case.

To me, the worst disaster is the one you're not ready for. It could be a hurricane, a tornado, flood, you name it. My county doesn't have any way of notifying the public of a tornado, so if you're not watching the news or listening to a radio you're pretty much SOL, as the majority of people don't have a weather radio like they should. So if you're really ready, then the scope of the disaster is greatly reduced. It's when you're not ready for it that it hits the hardest. .
 
I've been through hurricanes in Florida, VA Beach and (typhoons in) Guam; I've seen first hand what happens. Anyway, I was reading the article Home Can Be Built To Survive Disaster about a home built to withstand a category 5 hurricane and wondered why that wasn't done as a routine in Florida. Folks feel that big storms are going to be the rule rather than the exception, so it's probably best to prepare for them at the design stage. Category 4 isn't enough.

When I was on Guam the high-rise I lived in had plywood covers already made for all the large sliding glass doors, it was just a matter of putting them up and they went up fast. A coconut doing 100+mph can do a lot of damage.
My home in VA Beach was a condo built on pilings with all living areas 12 feet above ground level to prepare for tidal surge.
When I see the news reports of people going to Home Depot for plywood just before a storm hits I gotta wonder where those folks thought they were living and why those preparations weren't done way earlier.

It's too bad about the trees though, they take years to get established and you just can't protect them.
 
My worst natural disasters were floods. They caused evacuations, but were nothing to write home about.

I am not a structural engineer, but I have had a good deal of structural training. Quickly flipping through the 2003 International Building Code, I see that in the "Simplified Design Wind Pressure" method, table 1609.2.1(1), a 170 mph wind requires the use of a pressure of 63.4 pounds per square foot (psf) horizontally, and 38.3 psf vertically (uplift). Start multiplying that by the applicable areas, and you get really big forces really fast. It isn't easy to design for that.

Scott
 
Two major hurricanes, one major earthquake, one flood, two lighting strikes.
No you really don't want to stand near me.
 
Volcano eruptions are prone to wrecking you day too. I would say they are the worst natural disaster.
 
longbow50 said:
I've never been through a hurricane, but while living in the Sierra Mtns., sustained 100+ mph winds and heavy rains/hail (typhoon?) lasted through the night. Been through several small Earthquakes, escaped fire and got flooded out twice in one year.

Maybe the news isn't in the event, but the heartache and headache it causes the people.

As time goes on, I think we'll be seeing a lot more about weather and it's changes, on a global scale. Things are changing, as they often do and I think we'll be seeing more intense, larger and more frequent storms and other natural events.

Anyone remember the moon from 30 years ago? Doesn't the moon of today seem farther away from us? I sure do miss the huge harvest moon of those times. Or, is it my feeble memories? :rolleyes: :D
Click to expand...
actually the moon was closer to the earth 30 years ago. seen it on discovery channel or something about how the moon is too big a satellite for earth (our moon is the size for a jupiter sized planet :eek: )and is slowly pulling away from us until things equal out.
of course if you have read any of zecaria sitchin's books kind of makes you wonder
 
Right, the moon recedes at around 1.5-3 cm per year if memory serves. When the first life was in the oceans, the moon was quite a lot closer and Earth's day was ~18 hours long. (Earth's rotational energy is being transfered to the moon through tidal interactions.)

Anyway, I forgot that I experienced the Mt. St. Helens eruption of 1980. Lotsa ash, lotsa bad. I was in about 4th grade then. Somehow disasters are more fun when you are a kid :)

Scott
 
Back in '91 we had an ice storm that knocked out power to my home for 11 days.

Not much of a big deal though.Still had an undamaged house,running water,gas stove.
 
January '03 bushfires, Canberra, Australia. Watched it coming from the mountains for several days; hit Canberra (Australia's national capital) on a Saturday afternoon. The city was not well prepared - "It can't happen to us!". It did - 400 homes destroyed and thankfully only a few (I think two) lives lost. My home was safe - far enough from the fringe areas where the fire hit. But helping with the cleanup afterwards was sobering and upsetting.

Chris
 
The worst natural disaster has to be an asteroid strike. Right up there would be those explosive volcanic eruptions, like Crater Lake, Yellowstone, or Krakatoa.

The worst one I've seen was the firestorm in SoCal last year. My home was not in danger but I saw those huge flames firsthand . . . :eek:
 
I have'nt been through most other kinds of natual disasters, however, I have and still do go through Huricanes every year here in Florida. I am qualified to speak to this issue, as I have suffered through many of them in the last 35+ years. Alot of what I have read here on this thread is accurate, and some is not... There is a little more to it than just hunkering down & riding it out.

The FIRST thing to do is "prepare", and get yourself into survival mode. That means: lots and lots of batteries, clean drinking water, food, ice, ect... And the ability to store same... ie: Coolers and potable water containers as well, for washing and teeth brushing. Proper hygene will prevent bacteria/germ sreading potential. Being sick at this time is doublely painful. A cooking medium, such as your typical propane or charcoal grill. You will need lots of extra propane or charcoal as well. A 5000 watt or larger generator is nice because it will allow the extra comfort of being able to prioritize running electical appliance essentials, such as, refrigerator, washing machine, fans, TV, radio and such... And folks that are a bit more self sufficent and run off they're own water well and septic system, will need the generator to be able to run this system. The upside is, that when the rest of the countryside has a 'boil water order', these folks have no worries... A good KNIFE at a time like this is great for everthing, from everyday food prep to cutting braided boat rope-line down at the dock...

The likely scenaro is that most folks will not take the 'death hit' or 'direct hit', where the storm's winds will be the highest, however, these storms are anything, BUT predictable!.. You have got the high winds, which means flying debris, you also have extremely HUGE amounts of water, and depending where you live, you also have very dangerous storm surges. Flooding kills more people in storms than does anything else. Anyone that has ever lived in Florida knows we are a big fat pennisula out in, and surrounded by water. We have thousands of miles of coastlines, canals, lakes, tributaries and swampland... When the water starts rising, it is fast & furious... And the state is flat, so there is no high ground.

Frankly, it is not the storm that will make most our lives unlivable, it is the AFTERMATH of the storm that is the problem. When trees go down they take out powerlines with them. Our society functions on electricity! No power.. No food markets, no gas stations, no banks, NO BUSINESS!.. This can be complete devistation to the infrastructure... Much income is lost when this happens.

For a recent example, Hurricane Frances, a lously category~2 storm just took out 4 million people's power in homes and businesses in 7 counties in the state just 12 days ago. We still have 1.4 million without power today nearly 2 weeks later. Anyone who has ever lived without power for 2 weeks can tell you that it sucks... And it will likely be an additional 2-4 weeks becuase of the stupidity and misinformation of state and federal agencies involved.

Anyone that says that Hurricanes are no big deal has NEVER really experienced any... :footinmou

And, I challenge everyone on this forum that disagrees with this statement to watch what Hurricane Ivan is about to do to the Florida Panhandle and the surrounding areas where it will most likely hit with in the next several days to understand this point... I know they will be in my prayers!.. I hope they will be in yours.
 
worst disater ive been in personally was the 93 blizzard 5 feet plus of snow and ice every where I was living the Beckley wv at the time in the heart of the appalachins, life was at a standstill for weeks.
 
Floods are pretty bad. Worldwide, they kill more people than any other natural disaster. Many of those deaths are accounted for by third world nations but even in the US, floods kill plenty of folks.
The power and speed of fast moving water are easy to underestimate and are not consistent like neighborhood creeks you've known all of your life and don't think twice about crossing.
As far as building to lessen the damage, all you can do is go vertical, like many coastal homes. However, in mountainous regions, like the NC mountains, this is not very practical. Once water gets in, and the mold and mildew grow, your house in done.
There is such a broad pollution problem with flooding also. Bad water is a bacteria-laden monster.
And just to make the point that floods are the worst natural disasters ever...
they're what God used to destroy the world.


Now, with all of that said, I live in coastal NC. We have hurricanes and tropical storms pretty often. Hurricane Floydd was horrible, not because of high winds, but because of all the rain it dumped on the coastal plain.
What should I do to be prepared in case of a flood. Wind doesn't really bother me at this point. My house is pretty strong and my supplies are well grounded.
But, should I buy a boat, keep a chainsaw in the attic?
Opinions?
 
Carthage said:
Floods are pretty bad.....

What should I do to be prepared in case of a flood. Wind doesn't really bother me at this point. My house is pretty strong and my supplies are well grounded. But, should I buy a boat, keep a chainsaw in the attic?
Opinions?
Click to expand...

Carthage,
My advice and coarse of action is as follows:

(1) Multiple heart felt prayers. (2) Good Flood Insurance. (3) Many more heart felt prayers...

I suppose a boat is a good idea now that I think of it... Worked for Noah and his kin folk ;)

Just as an aside, I used to live in Blowing Rock, North Carolina many many years ago. And very much enjoyed that area. Are the leaves starting to turn color yet?
 
sunnyd said:
Carthage,
My advice and coarse of action is as follows:

(1) Multiple heart felt prayers. (2) Good Flood Insurance. (3) Many more heart felt prayers...

I suppose a boat is a good idea now that I think of it... Worked for Noah and his kin folk ;)

Just as an aside, I used to live in Blowing Rock, North Carolina many many years ago. And very much enjoyed that area. Are the leaves starting to turn color yet?
Click to expand...

Blowing Rock leaves are just now starting to turn colors. It won't be in full glory for another month. On a different note, they have had some significant flooding up there from Ivan and Charley. App State canceled some classes.
I'm a big fan of the NC mountains and always thought I would live there. Circumstances, however have sent my wife and me to the coast.
 
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