Have you ever been in a disaster watch or in a real one?

Question

Please don't include thunder storm unless lighting struck somewhere near you like in a city or state. If you have been in a disaster, I'm glad your alive and (hopefully) alright.

Answer 1

I'm thankful that I live in the UK which, as far as the weather is concerned, is a fairly safe place to live. When bad weather strikes it's nothing like on the scale seen elsewhere.

We did get pushed off the road in Scotland by a fairly small mudslide a few years ago and in a storm in January a branch broke the windshield whilst we were on the motorway (freeway), that happened just a few minutes after we were overtaking a truck when it began to blow over, fortunately my passenger saw the truck's wheels lifting off the ground and I was able to accelerate out of the way.

I got blown 200 metres across a mountain top once, fortunately it was packed ice and I managed to arrest myself with an ice axe, just as well as another 100 metres and I'd have been over some cliffs.

Experienced a few white outs - the ones where everything is white and you can't tell ground from sky, in such situations you have to sit it out otherwise you could walk off the edge of a cliff. Been close to some avalanches but there are ways and means of predicting them so by and large you can minimise risks. Been struck by a powder avalanche but that's only loose snow and is actually quite funny.

All the above are self-inflicted and could have been avoided but sometimes research and pastimes put me in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The only 'unavoidable' events were a sandstorm in the Sahara, a flash flood in the Alps and a lightning strike in Ghana.

The flash flood happened at 5am when about 30 of us were asleep in tents, within a couple of minutes of the water first reaching us almost everything had been washed away.

The lightning came in the middle of a very intense thunderstorm, I'd gone outside the building to observe it and was stood under a canopy. The lightning struck the building, blew the windows out and left everyone deafened and blinded for about 15 seconds. It's pretty worrying to find you've suddenly gone deaf and blind. Fortunately it didn't last long and the only thing I've got to show for my exploits is a chipped piece of bone in my hip. If you want to include rescuing people from weather related events then add a broken rib and a few teeth knocked out.

Answering this question has made me realise how many risks I take - thanks for asking it, maybe I'll be more careful in future.

Answer 2

I would assume you mean a svere weather watch, Yes everything from thunderstorms to winter storms.
not only am I a longhaul truck driver but I am a NWS Skywarn Spotter. I have been stranded in blizzards for sometimes up to five days and have seen tornados infact I watched the tornado rip into Dumas Arkansas about a month ago and have experianced severe wind storms in the pacific northwest. NOTE TO READERS: when severe weather is approching Tune to NOAA Weather Radio or Local Media outlets for updates on the approching severe weather. Click on the link for severe weather safety guides http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/severewx/safety.php You can purchas a NOAA Weather Radio at most electronic stores such as radio shack

Answer 3

Well: according to certain things the local "Weather Services
has been on alert about 24hrs here& we'd are doing just fine
too .So during our Summer Months it gets hot alot of course
at 100 -115 degrees farinhight" but once in a while some rain
if Meterologist predicts 100% !

Answer 4

yeah i live in enumclaw WA and every year we get 100+ mile an hour winds due to the easterly winds pouring down the Mt rainier foothills

Answer 5

i wasnt in it but i no of a friends dad who was cyclone tracy in darwin Australia christmas eve sometime in the 70's i think

Answer 6

Okay my neighbor's house blew up due to some gas leak.