How bad should a natural disaster be before you totally freak out?

A lot as I am a trained first responder. I would have to find a loved one dead and that would probably make me freak out!

My windows breaking.

I doubt I’d freak out. Most likely, I’d be dazed for a second or two but freaking out is very unlike me.

I don’t know, I think @Blackberry‘s window breaking notion might be my tipping point too. I’ve never really been tested in a real natural disaster but in the most extreme disasterishy circumstances I’ve been in I usually find myself, at the point where I’m getting kind of anxious, thinking: “Is this how people die in these things? Because they just sit there wondering whether or not this is the time to take action. Should I be doing something now, like getting in the centermost, windowless room in my apartment, i.e. the closet?”

I don’t start to freak out until the house starts to come apart.

If I was driving and saw a tornado I would freak out.

I do take prudent precautions as a natural disaster approaches. Of course with earthquakes you have little warning. With Hurricanes I do all the things I can since there is fair warning. For a hurricane 5 I would probably consider leaving, maybe a 4 because it could easily get worse. For anything below that I weather the storm.

For Tornados I go underground if we are under a warning in my area.

I am not the type to freak out during an event. I would just get through it and then have anxiety about it later.

@JLeslie… We track tornadoes down in our cars!

If I know me, I’d keep it all together until after every immediate thing had happened and been taken care of, then I’d go lock myself in somewhere and cry my eyes out.

I have been through several earthquakes and in the path of more floods, fires, and tornadoes than I can count. The only ones that really freak me out are earthquakes. Taking a step and having the ground rise to meet me was rather disconcerting. As soon as the shaking stops however I pull it together. The rest I tend to roll with and stay pretty calm. When the tornado sirens go off I usually head to the basement, having the kids in tow I have no choice but to stay calm.

@SuperMouse I’m going to stay away from you, I think. It’s nothing personal, you just sound like a real disaster magnet. ;-)

It depends on how familiar I am with the natural disaster, really.
I mean, I’ve never been in an avalanche… but a little avalanche would probably scare the shit out of me, where, I am extremely familiar with tornadoes, and it would take a reasonably strong tornado headed right in my direction for me to actually freak out. And, by in my direction, I mean within my line of view. Not something I heard on the news.

@lillycoyote it’s not like that really! I just grew up in Southern California!

I have never experienced a tornado, so any tornado in my area would freak me out. Same thing with any earthquake strong enough to shake anything.

@SuperMouse No mudslides? And they have tornadoes in Southern California?

@lillycoyote, I never lived on a mountain or at the base of a mountain so no mudslides. The tornadoes have been since I moved to the mid-west a couple of years ago.

Shit. @SuperMouse moved close to me. That explains this year’s outbreak. Go back to California Mouse!!

But we don’t want the mouse here in Cali! Shits bad enough as it is! Lol

I wouldn’t be hysterical but I would be pretty freaked out if my home was destroyed. If the living dead began appearing in the streets I would give serious consideration to hysteria.

To answer my own question, I really don’t know. But I wish to God I’ll be as tenacious as John Cusack here.

As soon as it starts damaging my home.

Well, I’m in a high forest fire zone over here, had one not far away yesterday. Fire scares me the most, short of a nuclear bomb. lol

A flood wouldn’t be great either, but, I’d rather swim than burn. hahaha

My husband before he passed didn’t just play football, and play the drums, he was an EMT. He didn’t freak out.

Yesterday (I’m in Ontario) when I woke up to take the dogs for their walk it was dark and windy – not normal. I went the short way because I had a flash after my mom told me that her first tornado she saw there were cows lying dead all over the place. For some reason I imagined me and the dogs being whirled away…I went on a short walk.

When I got back I wondered what the wind speed was..was I surprised 11:30am there was a tornado watch! I got anxiety. I have been in 1 tornado when I was 8.

The watch lasted all day. I watched the weather network all day. I called my mother we talked so she could keep my anxiety down. I wasn’t really paying attention to the weather channel until this popped up. It does not show on the video but immediately after I saw this the red alert popped up on my screen and said “take cover” I screamed and hung up the phone with my mom and me and the dogs and cat and we took shelter in the hallway. (I live in a first floor apartment). It sounded like a train yard out there I had no clue what was happening. We did not get an actual tornado. I felt much better after it was done an eerie silence, they said during the storm Ontario received over 100,000 lightening strikes and the thunder rumbled the ground like aftershocks.

Check this article out:
close to my area

I keep my cool during earthquakes.
Tsunami? I get a bit worried.
It the nuclear radiation leaks that freak me out!

The radiation from Fukishima (spelling?) never worried me, given where I live. I probably got more radiation from the bananas I ate during the tragedy than radiation from the plant.

Last year when the BOM was predicting that we were directly in the path of a catagory 5 cyclone. I lived through a 3 and I sure wasn’t looking forward to a 5. And since we had no idea of the structural integrity of the house we were living in, we took the path of discretion over valor and evacuated, heheheh!

I may have an update for you in a few days. Irene is projected to hit my area as a category 2 hurricane, something I’ve never experienced. I am far from freaking out but am a little anxious as, though I don’t worry about life or limb here, I am a little concerned now about possible property damage. I will try to keep notes, I have flashlights and still know how to use a pen and paper, so I will be able to report back to you if and when I have a full-fledged freak out and under exactly what circumstances.

@lillycoyote – good luck. Make sure your iphone/ipod is charged so you have something to do when the power goes out!

@lillycoyote I think Irene will come to my place as a Category 2 as well, or is it 1? I think I’m going to see a movie before she arrives. : )

Irene is being velly velly good to us here in the midwest! The temps have dropped, the nights and mornings are soooooo nice and cool!

@lillycoyote Rick and I will come hang out witch you! We love a good storm! Or..you can come hang out with us if you’re worried. (Yeah..you’ll show up…and we’ll get hit by a tornado!) Let us know how it goes, dear.