We live in an area that I'd think was unlikely to be affected by natural disasters...
Same here. FNQ's pretty safe. So far this year we've only had a couple of cyclones, flooding, and the earthquake yesterday. That's pretty standard for everywhere, isn't it?
Cairns had it's own tsunami a couple of years ago. Live updates on the radio, people were seriously panicking. The roads were gridlocked. People were dragging double-axle caravans up Lake Morris road, which at some places is most charitably described as a single-lane goat track (it took them days to unclog that mess). People were leaving the safety of cyclone-rated block buildings so they could sit, completely exposed to the ocean, in their cars as they tried to get "away". Probably what incited the most fear was when the main radio station did a live cross to the Willis Is met station, just after the tsunami was scheduled to pass it by, to get a live update from the staff there as to the impact it had. There was nothing but static on the end of the line. You can imagine the hysterics that drove people into. People were running into classrooms crying and screaming, grabbing their children and running out.
When the wave reached the beach (and the waiting lines of gridlocked traffic, half a metre above the waterline), it was officially measured at something like 3cm.
So much hype, so much media-generated fear, so little facts. No one remembered that we have 10km of reef and shallow water between us and open ocean. I wanted to find out who was selling the "I survived the Cairns Tsunami" bumper stickers afterwards, but never could track them down.
Obviously the current situation in Japan is worlds apart from this, and my heart goes out to everyone affected over there - the scale of the destruction is simply unimaginable in modern society. I simply do not know how you could begin the task of recovering and rebuilding.
Also, I'm with Darren. The survivalist movement (and it's members) scares the living daylights out of me. By the sounds of Bill's post, I think I'll be heading down his way and camping out with him - sounds like they've got it sorted!
Thanks!
Matto