Have you ever been in a natural "disaster," or simply a naturally-occurring hazard (flood, storm, quake, eruption, fire, landslid/mudslide, tsunami, tornado, etc.)? If so, what kinds, and what was your reaction to them?

A few hurricanes when I lived out East. There was some flooding, felled trees (into houses), bricks flying off of houses, loose power lines, etc. My reaction: light a candle and read, or do some painting.

I've also been in a tornado. Not much damage, and even at 8 years old I was fairly nonchalant about the whole ordeal.

Yes...an F5 tornado...will NEVER forget it, either.

I slept through a tornado that went through the field behind my grandparents' house when I was 4 or 5.

Morgan Hill, California, early 1980's. Our house was at the epicenter. I was at work when it happened and in a warehouse when everything started shaking. When I got home the house was completely trashed. Sheetrock broken, the kitchen was a disaster, chandaliers destroyed and worst of all, my entire beer glass collection from Germany was destroyed.

Loma Prieta earthquake. No damage to the house, it was only a one story and too far away from the epicenter. Shook like hell, scared the crap out of me for months every time a large truck went by.

Flood in San Jose, Ca. Overflowing creek. My mother in laws house. We had to abandon an outbuilding and just save the house. We had sandbags five feet high in one spot. Five houses were lost but not that one.

Flood in Palo Alto, Ca. I came later for clean up. Flood water is horrible on homes. It's full of poo and poison oak and if you touch it you'll break out in some sort of skin disease.

April, 1998.

Two torndados touch down and destroy parts of Nashville and east Nashville.

Watched both twisters as they formed in the clouds and eventually turning to the earth. huge tornado.

Massive destruction in both locations. i could swear i saw a cow going in a circle.

Wife at home. i am at work. we had no cellphones then. no communication with each other.

Tornado destroys the house across the street from mine and the house behind mine.

Tornado uplifts and misses my house. no damage.

We were blessed.

Yes, I live only about 6 miles from the epicenter of where the magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake occurred.
I was still awake when it hit at 4:30 AM on January 17, 1994.

I was scared and I immediately braced myself in my bathroom doorway.
I was unharmed but my rebar-reinforced chimney was torn in half.

Below are two pix from the aftermath:

tornado and hurricanes in Alabama

I've been in a couple of small one's, an earthquake here in England last autumn, & a reasonable sized flood in Fuengirola, Spain in the early 90's. I really enjoyed them both, great fun!

I have been through 5 or 6 hurricanes. stayed at home through them all including regualar houses, moble homes and the last one Dolly in a 5th wheel RV trailer.

Don't think I will go through another one in the RV! it got a little scary a few times but stayed put and OK.

I've been in a tropical storm. We were lucky, the only damage we had was a tree uprooted in the garden.

I've been in a flood - I was on holiday at my grandads house and it rained heavily & consistently for days. I'm not sure what happened but there was water half way up the walls of the house outside & it was all over the floor inside. I guess I was a little annoyed but I wasn't worried - the damage was already done.