Have you ever been really been affected by a natural disaster?

Thankfully, no.

by Vee

I went to work one day about 25 years ago.
It was raining, just normal rain...nothing to worrie about.

Then the rain set in.

2 hours later, my husband phoned me at work, said you had better come home.
I said 'why'.
He said he brought the dog inside, from the rain.I said and I should come home because of that?
He then said(his exact words were)...well the dog is swimming , I said where!
He said ''our lounge room''!!!

It was a once in a hundred year flood where we lived, and we lost a lot.

by jonaja

I have never personally been affected by a natural disaster, and I really hope it stays that way into the future!

by Matteo Lor

Fortunately no, which is lucky considering I live opposite a river.

by Bryony Harrison

I've not sustained damage from a natural disaster but I met my partner during Disaster recovery operations following Cyclone Larry in Far North Qld in 2006 and our first child was conceived while we were stuck in our hotel in Ipswich during the 2011 Brisbane / Ipswich floods. And this year my birthday party (the first I've planned since my 21st...) was cancelled due to Cyclone Ita.

by lizzi

Last year in spring was the closest I've come to a natural disaster. We were land-locked due to extreme snow melt. The snow on the mountain tops melted so fast due to extreme weather change that many areas flooded. There were mudslides, bridges and roads were washed out, and many homes flooded. Calgary, a city of over a million people, had full city blocks submerged in water. We got off easy, both bridges into our area were washed out, but only for a couple of days and our home sustained no damage, but we wondered for a while how long we would be unable to reach the outside world. Our whole valley was detached, with no way to get food or gas. Luckily our power stayed on, and our water remained potable. We did get hit nearly as bad as our Albertan neighbours.

by DamienR

No, not personally but have volunteered during floods twice. Once in the next suburb to where I live when that suburb was ravaged by a monster storm and then during the floods here in 2011 - was heart breaking to listen to people's stories and made me feel so incredibly lucky to be able to go home to my own bed each night.

by Sandy Ludinski

I have been lucky enough not to at this stage.

by Sarah Bell

Yes. No.

My city's been badly flooded twice.
The first time, it was the weekend my workplace went onto Computer.
I had to wade through a couple of feet of water to get to workplace, over the roadway, two miles' back.
When I got to work, the water was up to front door there.
Got done what had to be done, & was 'rescued' by hubby in a 4WD at work's front door!

Our local creek rose 120', across playing fields' & roadway to first row of houses', at the bottom of our Estate. We lived at the top of a very steep hill up from the creek.
Good choice of our block of land, purposely, so we could NEVER be flooded!

by donjo

Yes - in the Brisbane floods of 2011 our suburb was cut off for a few days. Our local Coles supermarket was completely under water. We live uphill from the Brisbane River so we were fortunate our house sustained no damage. We didn't have any electricity for a few days and just had to improvise as there is no gas in our suburb either. Others didn't fare so well though.

by norma

In the 1974 floods I was 2 weeks late starting a new job as I couldn't get there.

by lynne