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Tornadoes because they seem so frequent, random, and highly destructive where they strike. The death tolls for such a relatively small area of damage seems really high.
Wildfires because they have become so much more intense and fast moving over the years. You really don't have much warning now and a lot are spreading in the middle of the night when people are asleep. I definitely would avoid an area with higher wildfire danger when buying a home now. The smoke from them is really getting to be a drag in Northern Ca too with weeks being spent indoors because the air is so bad.
As far as earthquakes, they are just so rare, infrequent, and random it's really hard to worry about them.
The problem with earthquakes is they could happen at any time. The may be rare but they're so unpredictable. For all we know Memphis of all places could have an 8.0 magnitude earthquake tomorrow.
Mt. Rainier is 60 miles SW and listed as decade Volcano’s. They are the 16 Volcano’s most likely to cause serious damage to populated areas due to their proximity and violent eruptions
The Puget Sound Region is at risk from Glacier Peak. That volcano really has the potential to do serious damage. The volcanoes in California, Oregon and Washington are the explosive type. So yes, there would be warning, like was the case of St. Helens in 1980, but even with the warning most people ignored it.
I went through the St. Helens eruption in Spokane/Coeur d'Alene and it was a mess. A couple more days of that ash cloud hanging around and the entire Spokane metro area would have been in serious trouble. We were very, very lucky that the ash cloud did not move towards Portland or Seattle in 1980. Also the St. Helens eruption was minor compared to the potential of the other volcanoes.
Seattle area is also overdue for a major earthquake. IF that quake is similar to the Anchorage quake of 1964 your looking at 15,000 to 20,000 dead. That is a huge number of fatalities and I am pretty sure that the emergency response system would be overwhelmed and the US military would have to called out to help.
BUT wait there's more. Until the Carlton Fire in 2015? the largest wildfires in Oregon and Washington have all been in WESTERN Oregon and Washington. They are way overdue and the forecast for this summer is NOT good.
New forecast is out July 1. It will probably predict much worse conditions for western Washington and Oregon.
Personally, I have never gone through a hurricane or tornado. Don't want to try it either. Always lived in deserts so flooding has never been a concern.
Wildfires are an annual event, however. Hopefully, with the fires in Paradise and Redding we might finally get some common sense policies coming from our elected officials. There is NO REASON outside of the LA basin for wildfires to destroy communities, except stupidity.
Very few people have gone 'through' a violent tornado. A lot of people have been in tornadic storms that also produced a tornado at some point (hell even here in Virginia I've gone through a couple of those).
But you have to recall that even an EF-5 tornado will not be an EF-5 tornado in its entire lifespan. And even when it is at EF-5 peak damage, the area that will experience these EF-5 winds will likely be no more than 100-200 yards wide. The guy on TV may say "this tornado is a mile wide" but that doesn't mean there will be peak winds in that entire mile. There could be houses that tornado 'goes over' technically who have little more than blown windows even if the houses down the street are totally gone. So all things considered, the % of people living in OK, KS, NE, TX, AL, MS, TN, AR..whose house has been destroyed in a tornado is tiny.
Now of course a major tornadic thunderstorm will have other effects that cause problems, major power outages, hail damage to vehicles, blocked roads etc. but then these effects are really not all that different from the damage caused by ice and snow storms and tropical disturbances...all of whom can be found in much of the country outside of the tornado-prone regions.
Very few people have gone 'through' a violent tornado. A lot of people have been in tornadic storms that also produced a tornado at some point (hell even here in Virginia I've gone through a couple of those).
But you have to recall that even an EF-5 tornado will not be an EF-5 tornado in its entire lifespan. And even when it is at EF-5 peak damage, the area that will experience these EF-5 winds will likely be no more than 100-200 yards wide. The guy on TV may say "this tornado is a mile wide" but that doesn't mean there will be peak winds in that entire mile. There could be houses that tornado 'goes over' technically who have little more than blown windows even if the houses down the street are totally gone. So all things considered, the % of people living in OK, KS, NE, TX, AL, MS, TN, AR..whose house has been destroyed in a tornado is tiny.
Now of course a major tornadic thunderstorm will have other effects that cause problems, major power outages, hail damage to vehicles, blocked roads etc. but then these effects are really not all that different from the damage caused by ice and snow storms and tropical disturbances...all of whom can be found in much of the country outside of the tornado-prone regions.
Yeah, tornadoes are much fiercer than hurricanes, but impact a drastically smaller area on it's path. A hurricane can do damage for miles, where a tornado does worse damage, but in a much denser area. Which is why the odds of you being hit by a tornado are smaller, even when tornadoes do occur very often, especially compared to say, a hurricane.
The problem with earthquakes is they could happen at any time. The may be rare but they're so unpredictable. For all we know Memphis of all places could have an 8.0 magnitude earthquake tomorrow.
Exactly why nobody should be planning their life around when an earthquake might strike. When an earthquake hits hard, it's undoubtedly very bad. But I'd rather go decades with nothing than worry about a tornado or a hurricane destroying my house several times per year. That sounds stressful af. Earthquakes you just live your life and don't worry about them at all. Tornadoes and hurricanes you gotta prepare and hide from them and deal with the destruction literally every season. Not everyone. But some community somewhere in the US is dealing with destruction from a hurricane or tornado every single year. I'd imagine the fear of "am I next" has to drain you somewhat, no?
Earthquakes can be dangerous. Seattle will get its "once every 300 years" quake eventually. But even then, if you live and work somewhere newer or seismically renovated, and you don't balance heavy objects on top of tall, wobbly bookcases, you'll be fine.
Most damage will be on the coast far away, and in limited other areas with landslide or tsunami potential.
As for the earthquakes we get every decade or two, those do fairly minimal damage.
Exactly why nobody should be planning their life around when an earthquake might strike. When an earthquake hits hard, it's undoubtedly very bad. But I'd rather go decades with nothing than worry about a tornado or a hurricane destroying my house several times per year. That sounds stressful af. Earthquakes you just live your life and don't worry about them at all. Tornadoes and hurricanes you gotta prepare and hide from them and deal with the destruction literally every season. Not everyone. But some community somewhere in the US is dealing with destruction from a hurricane or tornado every single year. I'd imagine the fear of "am I next" has to drain you somewhat, no?
My thoughts exactly. You can get into a car accident every time you're in a car but are you going to worry about that all the time? Same with earthquakes.
The fragile electric grid is the biggest problem from hurricanes and even tropical and ice storms where I live.
Where in the NY area are you?
I know in many places in Suffolk County, especially where there is new construction, they are building power lines underground now.
I live in Nassau County, was here when Sandy came around. We are not immune to hurricanes. Power lines above ground are definitely a big issue for sure.
Exactly why nobody should be planning their life around when an earthquake might strike. When an earthquake hits hard, it's undoubtedly very bad. But I'd rather go decades with nothing than worry about a tornado or a hurricane destroying my house several times per year. That sounds stressful af. Earthquakes you just live your life and don't worry about them at all. Tornadoes and hurricanes you gotta prepare and hide from them and deal with the destruction literally every season. Not everyone. But some community somewhere in the US is dealing with destruction from a hurricane or tornado every single year. I'd imagine the fear of "am I next" has to drain you somewhat, no?
I'll answer, having lived in tornado and hurricane prone areas much of my life:
Tornadoes - I never lose a bit of sleep over them. I never sit around thinking, even subconsciously "I am next." So no, it's not draining at all.
Hurricanes - I've never had significant damage from one personally, and you get plenty of warning.
But if I had to choose between the two, I'd choose living in Tornado Alley rather than a hurricane prone area. In fact, that's what I HAVE chosen. No regrets.
Maybe this is weird, but I actually love big storms.
I do have a small windowless interior room and if we have an actual tornado warning, I do go get in it if the sky looks crazy, but for some perspective, that's been once about every seven or eight years. For about fifteen minutes. No damage ever. For the record, my dogs simply will not go in there with me, so they're on their own if it goes down!
I'll answer, having lived in tornado and hurricane prone areas much of my life:
Tornadoes - I never lose a bit of sleep over them. I never sit around thinking, even subconsciously "I am next." So no, it's not draining at all.
Hurricanes - I've never had significant damage from one personally, and you get plenty of warning.
But if I had to choose between the two, I'd choose living in Tornado Alley rather than a hurricane prone area. In fact, that's what I HAVE chosen. No regrets.
Maybe this is weird, but I actually love big storms.
I do have a small windowless interior room and if we have an actual tornado warning, I do go get in it if the sky looks crazy, but for some perspective, that's been once about every seven or eight years. For about fifteen minutes. No damage ever. For the record, my dogs simply will not go in there with me, so they're on their own if it goes down!
Having to replace your roof doesn't count as significant damage? Being without power for a week and trapped for 3 days in your house seems like a pretty big deal imo.
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