Is there a threat of a disaster where you live?

There is a threat of disaster everywhere, to a limited extent you can pick your poison by choosing where you live.

Oregon. For the most part we have nothing bad. But there tends to be a crazy earthquake here every 500 years when the Juan de Fuca Plate slips. Which it seems we are due for that soon and a major earthquake.

I’m from Southern California and, as noted, earthquakes are a potential natural disaster as well as brush fires (we’re just now leaving brush fire season, I think.) The foothills were on fire about a month ago and I think that is a threat that some people might not consider when thinking about our area.

My particular area is not as heavily threatened. When a heavy quake hits, we usually only feel the afterquake ripples. I am also far enough away from the foothills that, at most, I usually just inhale the ashes in the air. Unpleasant, but I inhale plenty of LA smog on a daily basis.

Except for snow there is virtually no threat of disaster here in Western NY. No tidal waves, no earthquakes, no tornadoes, no droughts, no forest fires. Hurricanes are rare and in the odd year we do get one they are severely weakened by they time they reach us.
This is a pretty darn good place to live – except for the snow. Did I mention snow?

Hurricanes, Nor’ Easters ant the occasional blizzard.

Florida. Central west coast. We have the threat of a hurricane, but haven’t had a direct hit in 70 years or so. Still, tropical storms and cat 1 and 2 do some damage. Sinkholes are a big thing. As are tornadoes, though ours are nothing like those in the Midwest.

According to the television in my living room, I should just sit on my couch and continue watching the television in my living room.

It is much too dangerous to venture outside. Period.

Yes! The threat of Ted Cruz.

I live about 6 miles as the crow flies from the Hayward Fault in the East Bay of Northern California. It’s way overdue for a big one.

I live in central South Carolina. The last major hurricane that affected this area was Hugo in 1989. No tornados, no earthquakes, no forest fires, rarely any snow. Pretty safe place to live as far as natural disasters go.

As long as their is the Tea Party, there is the threat of disaster.

New Mexico?

A limited threat from Hurricanes/cyclones and some forest fire danger in the forested areas.

Here in Florida, where we somehow stupidly allowed G.W. Bush to be “elected” in 2000, hurricanes and tornadoes are, by comparison, relatively harmless.

Although I heard they’re getting ready to build still another strip mall around the corner.

God dammit…!!!

Nope. We get moderate earthquakes from time to time, and very occasionally a tornado will touch down within a few hundred kilometres, but it’s not a concern in this region.

Not a huge threat of earthquakes in the Sierra Nevada hills/mountains here in Northern California, although there are several faults in the eastern Sierras that could, potentially, have some major seismic action. I am on the western slope mid-range. However….major forest/wildfires are always a risk around these here parts and we are having a warm indian summer right now. Very dry, high fire danger, temps. in the low to mid 80’s and breezy.

Knock on a pine tree. I have had several fire scares over the years, and the recent Yosemite fire was horrible. So many thousands of acres burned and what was really sad were the many range cattle grazing in those mountains that perished too. :-(

I live where @Seek_Kolinahr lives and she summed it up well. I lived in southeast FL for many years and we were hit by hurricanes quite a bit when I lived there, but I don’t remember one tornado threat near me, except for during hurricanes. We also had very few sink holes in that area.

I lived in TN for 7 years and tornadoes were a big thing there. Also, ice was sometimes a big problem like most of the southern states. It was even worse when I lived in NC. In the winter their snow is very wet, melts during the warmer tems of the day and becomes a skating rink in the freezing temps through the night. Rush hour can be very dangerous.

I grew up in MD and I and there were a couple years that had massive snow falls. But, it wasn’t dire for most people (a few years ago the DC metro area did have very extreme snowfalls and people were in danger in freezing hones and snowed in). I Remember one tropical storm that came through, I walked home from school in pouring rain as it began to hit. I lived in NY when I was very little and nothing ever happened there when I lived there.

I live a few blocks from a place called Chemical Valley, so, yeah.

@Mama_Cakes “Chemical Valley” yikes!

At this house, we have earthquakes, Mexican gangs, and a large chemical plant in nearby Martinez.

At my retirement house (which I should be moving to soon), we have meth heads and Nazi’s and Tea Baggers.

Northern California Valley, no earthquakes, but severe wind damage, floods, mostly car collisions.

According to the movies, there’s a major threat of alien invasion here. (DC.)

Terrible bush fires in nsw. I hear we can expect the same this summer, a very wet lush growing spring we had, living in the foothills, northerly winds- hope not.

I live in Michigan, so, tornadoes maybe?
I’m a disaster. Does that count?

^ bwa haha

Hurricanes, rarely.

Earthquakes of any consequence are so rare in SoCal I don’t consider them a threat. I’m much more concerned about being hit by a car. People in California don’t know how to drive for shit, and there are cars everywhere, all the damn time since no one walks anymore.

I can only remember one earthquake over the last ten years, but I’m almost killed by a car on what seems like a damn monthly basis.

Nothing significant here. (famous last words)

In Memphis, Tennessee, a 6.0 earthquake is predicted to take place within the next 50 years. If it happens, we currently aren’t prepared for it. Tornado warnings are common in the spring and fall. “Hurricane” Elvis caught us off-guard a few years ago, but we picked up the pieces and moved on. The Mighty Mississippi River floods in this region every once in a great while, and those that opt to make its banks their home gamble the risk of losing everything.

Probably the greatest risk in this region though is death through health-related matters, particularly obesity.

No, safe as a nun’s hymen around these here parts.

Oh, I guess I should mention my retirement home is on Mount Lassen , which hasn’t exploded for almost 100 years.

I’m in Texas. In addition to the ominous presence of Ted Cruz, brilliantly cited by @Pachyderm_In_The_Room above, we have tornadoes, hurricanes, locust plagues (and other insect infestations), the occasional earthquake, oil spills, whatever ills might befall us from fracking and twerking, and just a general sense of impending doom from the chupacabra. But I keep coming back for more.

You couldn’t pay me enough to live in Texas.

^ Is that a challenge ;-) Actually, I live in the beautiful hill country, and except for the unbearable heat, none of the items listed above is a real threat to me.

It is absolutely a challenge. Please, please challenge me.

With all the threats I’ve sited, I would think careers in crisis management / risk mitigation would pay well. Your Vulcan credentials would be a real asset here, Seek!

Massachusetts
Snow which leads to the occasional blizzard. There can be icing and power outages.

Also, the rare hurricane. By the time the get here though, most are downgraded to tropical storms.

Missouri is on a major fault line, so earthquake is a possiblity at some point. Otherwise tornado’s and floods are the only other things. We did have a terrible ice storm a few years ago that took down power lines and killed a lot of trees, so that was an ordeal, too.

@Seek_Kolinahr, I have no intention of paying you anything to live in Texas. Yes, like most states, Texas has many problems, political and otherwise. But in my city, comparatively a very liberal one, I know and interact with many fine people who, like me, believe in strict gun control, the ACA and good education, and who vote blue and abhor Ted Cruz and his ignorant ilk, respect others’ religious beliefs, and try not to judge books by their covers or states by how the media often depicts them.

I live in Lincolnshire. No disaster brewing here.

@picante Don’t forget the biggest freakin bugs in the US. (shudder)

Bugs! We just had a huge cucaracha in the apartment. Big Palmetto bug. That is a hazard in FL. That and aligators. Oh, and I live near the water so I see a rat now and then. Not inside of the apartment, OMG, but outside. They seem to try to hide among the squirrels, but I see him.

Yeah, I just had to fight of this year’s rats. Which I hate doing, because I actually like rats as a matter of course, just not icky disease carrying ones.

The palmetto bugs aren’t too bad, since they don’t bite. The mosquitoes are evil incarnate.

@JLeslie I’d be feeding all of those critters. Jeez, I already feed the park ducks and geese here, why not a few dozen whole chickens for the alligators too? lol

@Coloma We have the cutest brown bunnies here. I talk to them in Spanish for some reason. I guess because I think conejo chiquito bonito sounds cuter little beautiful rabbit. I hate to think alligators might snap some of them up. I don’t think I have any alligators near me. I think the water right here by my apartment is salty. But, I have lived near alligators before.

@Pachyderm_In_The_Room You forgot to say ”Don’t Fuck With Texas”.

All my exes live in Texas. lol ( okay, only one, my ex husband is in Houston, the big Kahuna CEO with assault rifles. Bah, he can stay there til hell freezes over as long as he keeps sending my alimony checks. hahahaha

“All my exes live in Texas.”

And that’s why I hang my hat in Tennessee. :)

We get tornadoes, hurricanes that usually peter out before they quite get to us, blizzards and the occasional earthquake (very small ones).

Most of us here didn’t think we ever had natural disasters, til the flood happened last month! It was pretty insane to watch happen literally at my doorstep.

Oh, well, wildfires. They seem pretty routine now though and you always expect them to happen, and they always do. Not that it makes it any less terrible, but it’s not as unexpected I guess as an earthquake or tornado might be.

@Headhurts I was born and grew up in rural Lincolnshire, and I still remember the annual Thunderflies plague every August/September. Nasty little buggers, they get everywhere. Does that still happen?

Your biggest threat is drought, being the driest county in England, while the rest of us have floods to deal with.