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Mother Nature took no prisoners when she unleashed her wrath on Los Angeles at the beginning of 2025. Wildfires continue to rage in the area, and the death toll now stands at at least 27. Around 12,000 structures have burned to the ground. Tens of thousands of people remain evacuated. Others are picking up the pieces.
It’s the latest in a series of natural disasters around the world that have had devastating effects in recent years. From earthquakes to hurricanes, volcanoes and floods, nature has truly tested the spirit of mankind. But even in the face of death and destruction, human beings have shown courage and resilience.
Bored Panda has compiled a list of photographs shared by people who have survived natural disasters. Some are heartbreaking, some are scary and others are a reminder that even during the toughest times, there's always a glimmer of hope.
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#1
I Train These Clever Creatures To Save Victims Trapped In Collapsed Buildings After Earthquakes
We kit them out with a rat backpack, and train them to trigger a switch when they find a victim & come back for a tasty treat.
K. V. 10 months ago
I've once seen a documentation which since then stayed in my mind about a bigger kind of rat who were trained to find granades in former war zones. Since the rats are too light, they don't trigger the granades which were buried under the earth. And because the rats only worked when they were treated fairly, the ppl who trained them treated them like beloved pets. Rats are incredible ❤️
Xeba 10 months ago
I think it were mines and no grenades. I heard the same story, I don't understand how a lot of people hate rats
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SirWriteALot 10 months ago
So imagine you're trapped in a building, in pain, dark, hungry, thirsty ... and then all of a sudden there's A RAT in front of your face. I'd freak out like a mf
Upstaged75 10 months ago
A rat with a backpack. I think I'd be thrilled. :)
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Serial pacifist 10 months ago
So cool. The only regret is a missed opportunity to call the backpack “rat pack.”
Winnie the Moo 10 months ago
Rats are SO smart and SO cute. Had a pet rat, she was wonderful. Too bad they only live 2-3 years…
Linda Riebel 10 months ago
Doesn't look big enough for an Africa Pouched Rat -- the ones that are famous for this and other talents.....
Julia Ford 10 months ago
Sidenote for rats and mice: please don’t use glue traps! They are abhorrent and the poor rats and mice die from thirst and starvation, usually after ripping off skin and limbs.
RELATED:
#2
Colorado Man Reunited With His Donkey, Ennis, After Fire Swept Through His Town
#3
Found Her Cat 16 Days After The Tornado
The Los Angeles wildfires have once again highlighted just how vulnerable human beings are to climate change. Experts have long warned that global warming leads to an increase in natural disasters, and the latest fires have been blamed on a "perfect storm".
The area had gone without rain for months, creating desirable dry and dead vegetation for extreme combustion. Coupled with hurricane-force winds, firefighters didn't stand a chance when a spark met its soulmate and whipped up a blaze that instantly took off as if it were taking part in a marathon.
#4
A Dog And Her 2 Puppies Were Pulled Alive From The Rubble 124 Hours After The Earthquake In Turkey
#5
Cat Walking Away From A Volcanic Eruption
#6
A Cat And A Dog Cuddled Together After Being Rescued From The Rubble In Earthquake-Hit Syria
“When you have a high wind blowing a fire, the fire is not on the ground, it is in the air,” Hugh Safford told the Guardian. He's a fire ecologist at the University of California, Davis, and the regional director for the California Fire Science Consortium.
As Safford explained, embers can fly through the air, igniting vegetation way ahead of the fire frontline. The result: an apocalypse-like scene that catches residents and firefighters off guard.
#7
Cal-Fire Firefighter From The Paradise, Ca Wildfire Finds Missing Dog, Helps Reunite With Family
#8
Dog Carries Whole Bag Of Dog Food After Hurricane Harvey
#9
A Photo Of Incarcerated Firefighters Resting After Fighting A Socal Wildfire. They Get $2-$5/Day For That Work
JK 10 months ago (edited)
I saw a conversation about this program and they need to have a clean record while incarcerated, and they get credits towards early release. The inmates said they liked it because they were treated like humans, which says a lot about prison conditions. Having been incarcerated myself for a minor offense (spit on a cop; six months) I completely understand why these guys are willing to do this hard work. As for wages, they should get paid more. It all goes into their jail fund, and they get it paid either for commissary or a check when they walk out of the door. I did so much to help my fellow inmates I had a darn cheering section when I walked the hallway for the last time. People who do the time are often resilient and want to do better, and that is what these crews are doing. It is really hard to come back and rebuild once you have made a mistake and ended up incarcerated. Took me a decade. I respect these guys who are risking their lives.
"The landscape is tinder dry, and so any ignition source, whether from errant cigarette butts or sparks from power lines blown over in the strong winds, is much more likely to take hold and spread," said David Demeritt, a geographer and expert in environmental policy.
Demeritt explains that Los Angeles has a lot of fuel to burn. And the inconsistent conditions aren't helping. "This time last year, Los Angeles was plagued with flooding (and landslides) that broke an extended long-term drought across the region," he said. "That burst of moisture led to plant growth, which has been steadily drying over the past year of very dry conditions."
#10
Storm Chasin In West Texas
#11
So Yesterday I Was On My Way To Phoenix And I Captured One Of The Craziest Photos!!
#12
Last Day On The Line After 6 Years In Wildfire. It Has Been An Honor. Stay Safe!
As thousands of Los Angeles residents come to terms with losing their homes and belongings, and firefighters continue to battle the blazes, experts have warned that extreme natural disasters are far from over. We are likely to see more droughts in the coming years. And as a result, storms could intensify.
The U.S. Geological Survey explains it like this: "As more water vapor is evaporated into the atmosphere it becomes fuel for more powerful storms to develop. More heat in the atmosphere and warmer ocean surface temperatures can lead to increased wind speeds in tropical storms. Rising sea levels expose higher locations not usually subjected to the power of the sea and to the erosive forces of waves and currents."
#13
Rainbow And Tornado
#14
House Frozen By Lake Erie During This Week’s Blizzard In Buffalo
#15
The Power Of Hurricane Force Winds
Climate monitoring groups raised the alarm in January, warning that the world had set an unwanted record last year. Global surface temperatures rose to between 1.45°C and 1.6°C higher than the average from 1850 to 1900, making 2024 the hottest year in human history.
#17
When You Wake Up To 40" - 44" Of Snow In One Night
#18
My Mom Has 5 Sets Of China (Don't Ask) And Put Them In Her Pool Prior To Being Evacuated From Fires In Northern California. The Dishware Survived!
“We are now living in a very different climate from that which our parents and our grandparents experienced,” said deputy director of Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service Samantha Burgess.
Meanwhile, NASA's Gavin Schmidt warned that another 1.5°C of warming would take the planet back to a climate last seen 3 million years ago, in which case sea levels could rise dramatically. “We are halfway to Pliocene-level warmth in just 150 years,” Schmidt cautioned.
#19
Rare Typhoon Sky As Seen From A Subway Exit
#20
The Fourth Largest City Of Sweden, Uppsala, Is Currently Flooded. The Swedes Aren’t That Concerned
Ron Man 10 months ago
They're also not aware that they're swimming in the filthiest water possible. It makes me gag just looking at that and thinking about everything that's in there and now on them and in them. I'd be interested to know what the diseases are in 6 months. The Sweden also get to be introduced to cholera?
#21
Oregon Wildfires Making It Look Straight Apocalyptic
#22
My Aunt Took This Picture Of A Tornado At My Grandparents Farm That Touched Down Yesterday. South Dakota
#23
Eruption Happening In St. Vincent Today
#24
Green Sky During A Storm In South Dakota
#25
Getting Away From An Erupting Volcano Today
#26
Tree Struck By Lightning Burning From Inside Out
#27
Valencia Right Now After The Floods
#28
The Ongoing Eruption Of Mt Etna In Italy
#29
Tornado In Southern Romania, Today
#30
Blizzard Blew The Man Door On My Garage Open Yesterday
#31
20ft Shipping Container Found Wrapped Around A Tree After A Flood
#32
A Kangaroo Rushes Past A Burning House In Lake Conjola, Nsw
#33
Roads In Turkey After The 7.8 Earthquake
Geoffrey Scott 10 months ago
I don't know, whoever was driving that white car has a tight sphincter.
#34
Not The Beautiful Florida View Anyone Imagined! Courtesy Of Hurricane Ian
#35
Overnight Storm Winds In Ga Moved A House Into The Road
#36
Man Sits On Bench With His Dog During Hurricane Harvey
#37
A Street Completely Ripped Apart By The Floods In Germany
#38
There Was A Hailstorm At My Cousins House, They Have No Power So They Can’t Vacuum Up The Broken Glass In Their House Yet
#39
This Is The Power Of An Avalanche!
#40
Sunrise Over The San Fransisco Bay Today. Pier 45 Is On Fire At The Moment
#41
3pm In Port Macquarie, Nsw During The Wildfires
CaptainBungonia 10 months ago
In Australia, they're referred to as "bushfires". This was back in late 2019/early 2020 when bushfires (started by lightning) took out hundreds of hectares up and down the NSW coast.
#42
6000 People Isolated After An Avalanche Obstructed A Tunnel In Italy
Robert Trebor 10 months ago
MOUNTAIN: What do you mean by digging a hole in me. I will fill it up.
#43
Wind Turbine After Being Hit By A Tornado
#44
It's Currently -35°c Outside. The Water In The Air Freezes Making An Ice Fog
Geoffrey Scott 10 months ago
If you know, you know. Here in an area that gets below 0 F, early morning, lights in parking lots and facilities shine beams straight up due to ice crystals. Eerie.
#45
Flooding In Auckland, Nz
#46
Itap Of The Lightning Through My Window During A Recent Thunderstorm
#47
Hurricane Damaged Boardwalk
#48
Waiting For A Fish Fry In Western New York After A Blizzard!
#49
Sister In A Bright Orange Work Suit Blending In With The #mallacoota Sky
PinkittenGirl(she/they) 10 months ago (edited)
so the nether really is real. now where are those piglins?
#50
Before And After Hurricane Lan [fort Myers Florida]
#51
Pics I Took During Hurricane Harvey. Bayou Was About 25ft High
#52
Dealing With Insurance Claims Adjusters After Hurricane Laura
Multa Nocte 10 months ago
Insurance people need to start getting nervous with stupidity like this.
#53
There Was An Earthquake This Morning
#54
Tornado Near Naxos, Greece
#55
Pics I Took From The Tornado Destruction In Mayfield Kentucky. (I Live Here)
#56
My Mountain Caught On Fire At 3am.... Yep, That’s My House
#57
It's Raining Reason Again
#58
Record Flooding In Seoul, South Korea. 336mm/13in Of Rain In A Day
#59
Parents Retired This March And Bought Their Dream Ranch House In The Co Mountains On 400 Acres
Now There’s A 4000 Acres Fire That’s 0% Contained About A Mile From Them. No Evacuation Order For Them Yet, But We Expect It’s Coming
#60
Flood Reporter
#61
Huge Earthquake Just Hit Taiwan
#62
My Parents Lost Their House And Cars To A Tornado Last Month
The house was moved 13 feet backwards, off of the foundation with my parents in it. My dad said that the house was at about a 45 degree angle before the roof gave way. My parents were in the bathroom (the door on the far right) when it hit. The bathroom and storage room were the only rooms left with the roof intact. Thankfully, they're okay. Our dog came out without a scratch. She didn't make it into the bathroom with my parents in time, and somehow survived in the living room (this photo and the previous one).
#63
Dad's Coworker's Truck Struck By Lightning Last Night
#64
I Lost Everything In A House Fire This Morning And Narrowly Escaped. My Life Has Been So Hard Lately And I Didn’t Think It Could Get Any Worse But Apparently I Was Very Wrong
Gémeaux jumeaux 10 months ago
Heartbreaking, many of these, I do hope human resilience serves them...
#65
Flooding On The Highway (Dvp) In Toronto Due To Heavy Rainfall
#67
There Was A Tornado Today
No other houses were damaged too bad, tornado just so happed to touch down right here.
Another part of town was pretty much leveled though
#68
My Entire Neighborhood Is Submerged In Flood Water With Raw Sewage In It
My neighborhood Laurel Meadows in Sarasota Florida is completely flooded from Hurricane Debby and the water level is rising day by day despite the storm being over. Many of us are homeless now, cannot access our medications inside our homes, and truly have no idea what to do. Worst of all- it seems like no one knows what is happening to us.
#70
First House. Just Closed 6 Months Ago
Kabuki Kitsune 10 months ago
And that dear readers, is why when you're buying property, you make damn sure you check to see if it's in a potential flood zone before you buy it; and if you do buy it, you get homeowner's insurance with an "Act of God" clause. That "Act of God" clause being something that covers r natural events caused without human intervention that could not have been prevented by reasonable foresight or care.
#71
My Shower After Helene
#72
Now I Have To Wear My Mask For Wildfires Too. This Was At 11 Am While I Was At Work
#74
Winds Bent Trampoline In Half
#75
The Way A Lighting Strike Knocked Bark Off Of My Tree
#76
Raining In Lisbon Flooded The Only Exit From The Train Station In Algés
#77
Parents House Caught Fire And We Lost 2 Family Pet Dogs
#78
My Apartment After Hurricane Isaias (Philadelphia)
#79
Nothing Like Camping In A Tornado
#80
Itap Of The Only Way Out Of Our Neighborhood After Hurricane Sally
#81
Humidifier Caught Fire In Baby's Room. Baby Survived
#82
Came Back To Check The House After The Neighborhood Flooded From The Hurricane. Wasn’t Expecting My Car To Look Like This…
#83
My Friend's Garage The Day After Hurricane Sally
Gémeaux jumeaux 10 months ago
Yeesh. Looks like these could have been some movie-quality retro cars.
#84
Post Hurricane
#85
While Parents Were Evacuating From The Hurricane, Their House Caught Fire
FreeTheUnicorn 10 months ago
Shut off power and water when evacuating. Water seems redundant because clif you have city water they will shut off, but hence everything goes back on, it's potentially easier and it's 2 minutes to do.
#86
2 Years Ago vs. Today. Hurricane Laura Felled 5 Large Trees In Our Yard
#87
Small Tornado Tossed A Tree Through My Parents House! Summerfield Florida!
#88
My Neighborhood Is Currently Blocked Off Because Of A Flood
Robert Trebor 10 months ago
When stuff like this happens around here, they put up barriers, and people pull the barriers out of the way and drive into the water, get stuck, and wonder why they get a ticket, and their insurance won't pay.
#89
My House Got Flooded (Second Picture Is The Aftermath)
#90
Before And After The Recent Storm In Dubai. I Now Have A Lake View Apartment :d
#91
A Hailstorm Destroyed Our Roof And Insurance Doesn't Pay Because The Hail Was A Bigger Diameter Than What's Covered
Multa Nocte 10 months ago
How the hell is it possible for an insurance company to specify the maximum diameter of hail?
#92
We Lost Our New Home Of 4 Months. Hurricane Ida
Kabuki Kitsune 10 months ago
And this is why you have homeowner's insurance with an "act of God" clause. The phrase Act of God refers to an accident or other natural event caused without human intervention that could not have been prevented by reasonable foresight or care.
#94
Got A Call From The Fire Department
#95
The Bakery In Our Town Caught On Fire
#96
Roof Leak Flooded My Car While I Was Away, Came Back To This
#97
Welp Kids. Forgot To Roll Up My Window Before A Blizzard
#98
A Hurricane Flooded My Parents’ Business
#99
Uniformed Group Just Came Up And Stole Half The Fire Relief Supplies At The Santa Anita Racetrack
Add New Image
What do you think ?
AtMostAFabulist 10 months ago
A lot of interesting pictures, but I am not seeing a lot of the resilience of people.
Warren Peece 10 months ago
This is the road where I used to live in northern New York State. I have moved farther south twice since then. New-York-S...29946b.jpg 
pfeils wife 10 months ago
I feel like if they are all OK enough (survived) to take the photos AND later, post them to Reddit or BP... then I would say that those humans, are extremely resilient! And good on them!
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DDukes 10 months ago
I like the pole question at the end “What is your level of concern regarding natural disasters impacting your area in the future?” I live in Florida and we will be having freezing rain, sleet, and possible snow in a couple days. FLORIDA! We already know the hurricanes are going to keep coming but dang, Mother Nature, give us a break
Linda Lee 10 months ago
I'm in East Texas, not far from the Louisiana border. We're expecting snow tomorrow. Ridiculous.
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Warren Peece 10 months ago
Okay, here are some dates for you: Dates-678f...07cd51.jpg 
Pink kitty 10 months ago
I would have enjoyed reading this more without the constant 'leon' ads blocking my screen
PrettyJoyBird 10 months ago
Agree! Every 5 seconds with the pop up ads blocking screen!
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My O My 10 months ago
As a german: lern how to build proper houses! Half of these are due to low quality buildings
RedMarbles 10 months ago
Building disaster-proof houses is very expensive and out of reach for many people. Please stop blaming it on not knowing any better. It's really tedious (and probably particularly painful for disaster victims to have to hear). But congrats on your country's superior structures. Glad to hear you are more likely to stay safe.
Load More Replies... AtMostAFabulist 10 months ago
A lot of interesting pictures, but I am not seeing a lot of the resilience of people.
Warren Peece 10 months ago
This is the road where I used to live in northern New York State. I have moved farther south twice since then. New-York-S...29946b.jpg
pfeils wife 10 months ago
I feel like if they are all OK enough (survived) to take the photos AND later, post them to Reddit or BP... then I would say that those humans, are extremely resilient! And good on them!
Load More Replies... DDukes 10 months ago
I like the pole question at the end “What is your level of concern regarding natural disasters impacting your area in the future?” I live in Florida and we will be having freezing rain, sleet, and possible snow in a couple days. FLORIDA! We already know the hurricanes are going to keep coming but dang, Mother Nature, give us a break
Linda Lee 10 months ago
I'm in East Texas, not far from the Louisiana border. We're expecting snow tomorrow. Ridiculous.
Load More Replies... Warren Peece 10 months ago
Okay, here are some dates for you: Dates-678f...07cd51.jpg
Pink kitty 10 months ago
I would have enjoyed reading this more without the constant 'leon' ads blocking my screen
PrettyJoyBird 10 months ago
Agree! Every 5 seconds with the pop up ads blocking screen!
Load More Replies... My O My 10 months ago
As a german: lern how to build proper houses! Half of these are due to low quality buildings
RedMarbles 10 months ago
Building disaster-proof houses is very expensive and out of reach for many people. Please stop blaming it on not knowing any better. It's really tedious (and probably particularly painful for disaster victims to have to hear). But congrats on your country's superior structures. Glad to hear you are more likely to stay safe.
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