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I've been through a few minor earthquakes and the Nisqually earthquake (biggest quake to shake the PacNW in years, and yes, it was felt as far south as Corvallis). The Nisqually quake was the weirdest because we are so far away from the epicenter, but because of the composition of the Willamette Valley, the ground picks up any little wiggle from elsewhere in the NW. So we felt it pretty good--my lofted bed managed to move itself four inches. I actually didn't feel it as I was walking to class--I thought it was odd all of the birds were on the ground and not in the trees. Then when I got to class everyone was outside since they were checking for seismic damage.
The worst natural disaster I've ever been in was a flood. A combination of record rainfalls and high tides brought down a seawall holding back the bay that we lived roughly a block from. Because we lived below sea-level, we ended up with the bay in our living room. It was about 2.5 feet deep when the fire department rescued us. I remember sitting in my brother's crib, eating cold blueberry pancakes from the night before, and watching the garbage float past. Fortunately we all got out safely, though a lot of our stuff was damaged. Also fortunate--it wasn't our house. My parents had just purchased a house up on the hill overlooking the bay to get us out of the rental we were in. But it would take 30 days to close--so in the meantime we had to go live in our friends' driveway in a trailer. I'm thankful they put us up when no one else would (including my own grandmother).
I've been through some fierce storms, major power outages, and other interesting things, but nothing will ever top getting flooded out.
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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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