Hurricanes v. Earthquakes: Which is more scary to you?

[Californian Elitist]

I've never experienced a hurricane, but I've experienced an earthquake multiple times. I was only shaken up one time during an earthquake, and even then I laughed once it was over. I was sitting in my computer chair and all of a sudden, the chair went straight back, then straight forward again, all within maybe 2 or 3 seconds.

I think hurricanes are more scary. Sure, there are no warnings for earthquakes (the "big one" is supposedly on its way), but the buildup and knowing a bad hurricane is coming scares me. Not to mention they last for days and are far more common than bad earthquakes.

So... Would you rather experience flash floods, heavy rain and strong winds? Or experience the ground below you move, as well as the rest of your surroundings?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I think for those of us who know one of the 2 from experience, we're likely to choose the evil we know over the one we don't know. I've lived in hurricane prone areas my whole life. Hurricanes are part of life. I respect them but don't necessarily fear them. I know when it's okay to stay & when its time to pack it up & hit the road. I know how to survive just fine afterward when there's no power, no gas, and the world is turned upside down. We've cleaned up, rebuilt, and stored our gear for the next go 'round. No problem. Earthquakes? Oh heck no. Hubby says they're like someone pulling a rug from beneath your feet. There's no real forecast/warning the way there is for hurricanes. Hurricanes there's time to make decisions, prep, and get out of the way. Earthquakes happen and you're riding it hoping for the best. To devil with that! I'll take a horrible-cane. I know those.

 

[Figgy1]

If I had to chhoose it would be a hurricane by Disney World! You are far enough inland to escape the worst of the damage! Besides less chance of my liquor bottles breaking! LOL

 

[Master Yoda]

I have to go with earthquakes. While both can be mitigated to a degree by constructing buildings accordingly, but the simple fact is that you never know when an earthquake is going to hit. With a hurricane you have time to prepare. You can shore of the weak spots in your house or just flat out leave. With an earthquake all of your prep has to be done before hand and there is only so much you can do.

 

[Nemo14]

Earthquakes scare me more simply because they're unpredictable. We've had a couple of minor ones here in the past few years, but I'd never want to experience a big one. At least with hurricanes, our technology now gives you plenty of time to prepare or evacuate.

 

[mkt]

I live in an area that gets both. They both suck.

 

[George]

Having experienced both, earthquakes seem scarier. I think lack of warning and the like gives me less of a feeling of control. Nothing is as scary as seeing a big tornado moving in your general direction over farm fields though.

 

[Gabe1]

Earthquakes, Hurricanes and tornadoes all scare the pee right out of me.

 

[flynnibus]

there is no question... hurricanes are far more agreeable in that

- they do not show up unexpected
- you can get away from them
- even when its happening, they are still relatively slow beasts in how things roll out

Storm surge is the most 'scarey' part of a hurricane, and that is limited really to the areas right on the coast. You are more concerned about loss of property than you are loss of life. Wind damage is normally about roofs and water damage.. it's not like a tornado where everything just gets wiped out.

Don't let storms like Katrina or Sandy in NYC shape your mindset of hurricanes. That's what happens when people ignore common sense. Now there are extreme examples like Andrew.. but those are few and far between.

For most people, unless you are sitting on the coast.. your biggest concerns are water penetration.. extended power failures.. and flooding from your regular rivers/creeks.

The extended rains, if combined with other storm systems earlier are often far more damaging then the winds and ocean. Here's an example of the REMAINS of a hurricane still causing major damage.. but again due to the rains.
http://papa.org/flood.php

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Bad storms don't phase me. I've been through 3 hurricanes in my life (one in Disney and two in MD), plus so many storms both in Disney and at home. Once coming back from Blizzard Beach, we had this really terrible storm, and the bus was struck by lightning. I guess I was about 9 at the time. It was scary, but I am no longer afraid of being in a car in a lightning storm. I'm the type of person who looks at lightning in Disney and thinks, "Oh, cool, look at that streak!" From undercover of course. I guess I just know how to be safe and I'm not easily panicked.

I've never experienced an earthquake. I was in WDW the only time there ever was one in MD 2 years ago. I seem to miss all of the bad weather from being away. I missed a hurricane because I was in Disney, I missed a Derecho because I was in Hawaii, I missed the Earthquake, I missed a snowstorm two years ago...

I'm going to CA in June, so maybe I'll experience my first earthquake. Though in all honesty, I'd rather not. It would be interesting to see how I'd react, but I'm not the type of person who would avoid a specific region because of the potential of a weather event.

 

[Figgy1]

Bad storms don't phase me. I've been through 3 hurricanes in my life (one in Disney and two in MD), plus so many storms both in Disney and at home. Once coming back from Blizzard Beach, we had this really terrible storm, and the bus was struck by lightning. I guess I was about 9 at the time. It was scary, but I am no longer afraid of being in a car in a lightning storm. I'm the type of person who looks at lightning in Disney and thinks, "Oh, cool, look at that streak!" From undercover of course. I guess I just know how to be safe and I'm not easily panicked.

I've never experienced an earthquake. I was in WDW the only time there ever was one in MD 2 years ago. I seem to miss all of the bad weather from being away. I missed a hurricane because I was in Disney, I missed a Derecho because I was in Hawaii, I missed the Earthquake, I missed a snowstorm two years ago...

I'm going to CA in June, so maybe I'll experience my first earthquake. Though in all honesty, I'd rather not. It would be interesting to see how I'd react, but I'm not the type of person who would avoid a specific region because of the potential of a weather event.

No earthquakes allowed for your trip! I want you to have fun!

 

[Master Yoda]

there is no question... hurricanes are far more agreeable in that

- they do not show up unexpected
- you can get away from them
- even when its happening, they are still relatively slow beasts in how things roll out

Storm surge is the most 'scarey' part of a hurricane, and that is limited really to the areas right on the coast. You are more concerned about loss of property than you are loss of life. Wind damage is normally about roofs and water damage.. it's not like a tornado where everything just gets wiped out.

Don't let storms like Katrina or Sandy in NYC shape your mindset of hurricanes. That's what happens when people ignore common sense. Now there are extreme examples like Andrew.. but those are few and far between.

For most people, unless you are sitting on the coast.. your biggest concerns are water penetration.. extended power failures.. and flooding from your regular rivers/creeks.

The extended rains, if combined with other storm systems earlier are often far more damaging then the winds and ocean. Here's an example of the REMAINS of a hurricane still causing major damage.. but again due to the rains.
http://papa.org/flood.php

Andrew was really a case more of poor construction. Andrew hit just before I started working as an engineer and it was the catalyst for sweeping building code reform. The kicker was that there was really nothing wrong with the code, it simply was not being enforced. At the time the code called for braced gable ends, hurricane clips, 3 nails per shingle and 35 nails in a sheet of plywood as well as clips.

When investigators started picking through the wreckage the found not only gables that were not braced, but gables that were impossible to brace. Trusses and framing were commonly held in place with a single toe nail, shingles per put on with just a couple staples and plywood commonly had no clips and just a single nail in each corner.

Had everything been built to code at the time, the damage would have been much, much less.

 

[The Mom]

Definitely earthquakes ...and any other non-predictable natural disaster, like tornadoes, volcanoes, sinkholes, forest fires, etc.

Been through several hurricanes, and as others have mentioned, if you are prepared as much as possible (including having flood insurance even if you are not required to do so, and keeping your trees trimmed) they can be survived safely. And if you are told to leave - leave. Sometimes, you only have to go a few miles to be safe. We have friends on the coast that already plan to come here for anything under a Cat5. If it's stronger, we're leaving town.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Earthquakes only last for a few seconds, and some of them are so small you can't even feel them. 6.0 and 7.0 earthquakes are not common or frequent. The majority of the time, they're small. I bet more people have died due to hurricanes than earthquakes.

They usually feel like the one this girl is experiencing in the video below. She doesn't even realize it's an earthquake:

 

[flynnibus]

Earthquakes only last for a few seconds, and some of them are so small you can't even feel them. 6.0 and 7.0 earthquakes are not common or frequent. The majority of the time, they're small. I bet more people have died due to hurricanes than earthquakes.

Sure - but while infrequent, they are a looming threat. Hurricanes you know for days and you know generally how risky they will be. You also don't have to build EVERYTHING to be flood safe like you do have to build everything to be earthquake tolerant

'Fear of the unknown' - sums it up best. An earthquake starts.. and you have no idea where it will end up. Hurricanes, for the most part, you know going in what you are getting.. or at least what's at risk.

The idea of a Tornado in the night scares the crap out of me far worse than any hurricane

 

[Master Yoda]

Earthquakes only last for a few seconds, and some of them are so small you can't even feel them. 6.0 and 7.0 earthquakes are not common or frequent. The majority of the time, they're small. I bet more people have died due to hurricanes than earthquakes.

They usually feel like the one this girl is experiencing in the video below. She doesn't even realize it's an earthquake:

That will depend on how you define death by earthquake. Tsunamis are frequently caused by earthquakes. The earthquake that generated the great Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 killed 150,000 people. I think the average annual death toll for hurricanes is less than 200.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Sure - but while infrequent, they are a looming threat. Hurricanes you know for days and you know generally how risky they will be. You also don't have to build EVERYTHING to be flood safe like you do have to build everything to be earthquake tolerant

'Fear of the unknown' - sums it up best. An earthquake starts.. and you have no idea where it will end up. Hurricanes, for the most part, you know going in what you are getting.. or at least what's at risk.

The idea of a Tornado in the night scares the crap out of me far worse than any hurricane

Yeah but earthquakes don't continually last for days and weeks, like hurricanes do. Just some movement and it's over. I'll take my chances with with a bad earthquake than a bad hurricane. Plus dealing with packing up and leaving doesn't settle with me too well.

Tornadoes... I'd kindly take a hurricane over a tornado ANY DAY. Talk about fear. The Wizard of Oz messed me up on that one.

 

[Californian Elitist]

That will depend on how you define death by earthquake. Tsunamis are frequently caused by earthquakes. The earthquake that generated the great Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 killed 150,000 people. I think the average annual death toll for hurricanes is less than 200.

True, earthquakes can cause tsunamis. They are so rare, though. VERY rare.

Overall, I still bet hurricanes have killed more people than earthquakes.

 

[Nemo14]

Earthquakes only last for a few seconds, and some of them are so small you can't even feel them. 6.0 and 7.0 earthquakes are not common or frequent. The majority of the time, they're small. I bet more people have died due to hurricanes than earthquakes.

I think if you campare the data here http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/byyear.php with the data here http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001443.html
you'll see that earquakes are a lot more deadly than hurricanes.

 

[flynnibus]

Yeah but earthquakes don't continually last for days and weeks, like hurricanes do. Just some movement and it's over

Nah, a hurricane is over in just a few hours for most people. Imagine a big rain storm (ok.. cali.. I know.. but imagine.. that has a really intense portion to it and then goes back to being a rain storm. Damage of course can last for days or weeks.. but same as a major earthquake or other disaster. The storm itself is not really intimidating which is why so many people ignore evacuation orders. Most people do not think of flooding as life threatening events and trust that their structures will hold up.

Tornadoes... I'd kindly take a hurricane over a tornado ANY DAY. Talk about fear. The Wizard of Oz messed me up on that one.

I think Twister was the one who put it into perspective for me watching that opening portion when H Hunt is a child... or that sequence when the drive-in is hit.