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57 Terrifying Encounters With Nature People Captured On Camera
Mother Nature offers countless aesthetic wonders that give us more than enough reasons to spend time outdoors. But the flip side is wrathful destruction that can leave traumatic memories for years to come.
The following photos are proof that natural disasters are to be taken seriously. However, it also shows people's resilience in the face of adversity, which is always a beautiful thing to see.
Many of these photos may be difficult to look at. Scroll through and upvote those you find the most emotionally stirring.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Finding Every Stray In Cancun During A Hurricane To Give Them A Comfortable Place To Sleep
A man named Ricardo, fearing the impact of Hurricane Delta in Cancun, rounded up as many stray & shelter dogs as he could find last night and gave them protection in his home. Well done, sir!
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#2
Frankie Used A Brain Cell To Survive A Tornado
Yesterday morning, our area was hit with 3 tornadoes. My partner and I received a warning and quickly went outside to take in anything in our yard that could become flying debris. In the chaos, Frankie decided it was the perfect time to explore outside and sprinted out of the front door. This was the second time he’s done this in the two years we’ve had him. We immediately tried to lure him in with treats, but after about 10 seconds, the storm hit. A wall of wind and rain swept into our neighborhood and brought branches and leaves with it. It broke our hearts, but we needed to protect ourselves from the tornado. We went back inside and hid in our bathroom while our house shook and the power went out.
Afterwards, this orange boy comes waltzing in through our back door, soaking wet but otherwise unharmed. We were SO RELIEVED that he was okay. As I’m writing this, he is purring and making biscuits on my chest. This was a harrowing experience, but I’m just glad that my partner and Frankie are safe and healthy. We are so fortunate that Frankie was able to harness the power of the brain cell to find a safe hiding place during the storm.
We are still without power, but luckily, we have not had any damage to ourselves or our house.
#3
My Brother Was Continuously Screaming "Tsunami", So I Think She Would Have Realised Pretty Quickly
The climate crisis has worsened significantly in recent years. A report by the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) revealed that 2024 was the hottest year on record. The report also revealed 151 unprecedented extreme weather events, including heatwaves, flash floods, and landslides.
#4
Right Before Take Off, Hurricane Dorian Approaches... Into The Clouds We Go
#5
After Hurricane Idalia
#6
A Machine Came Through My Local John Deere For Repairs From The Tornado In Kentucky
With natural disasters come costs. According to a 2025 report by Time Magazine, the number of calamities costing more than a billion dollars has increased more than sixfold since 1980.
To put things in perspective, 96 natural disasters caused more than $546.3 million in damages from 1980 to 2000. In the two decades that followed, calamities rose to 244, incurring more than $1.95 trillion in damages.
#7
It's Weird To Realize That This Very Memorable Moment For Me
Howl's sleeping castle 1 day ago
I saw our window frame flying off the hinges. It was the evening before my wedding. We remember more about the weather than the actual ceremony
#8
You Can Also Feel This Weird Pressure In Your Ears
Pawsome 21 hours ago
I remember when one of my classmates told me that a tornado had hit a town in Luxembourg. I laughed, then learned that no, it was actually real. I later saw the destruction caused by it and I think that it's the first time that I actually realised even a tiny bit just how terrifying tornadoes must be
#9
You Know You Live In Iowa When A Tornado Plants Corn All Across Its Path
Apart from a noted rise in carbon emissions, it didn’t help that world leaders like US President Donald Trump also revoked the legal basis for key climate regulations. And with the seeming apathy toward global warming and climate change, experts have adopted a more grim outlook toward the future.
According to climate scientist Dr. Luke Parsons of The Nature Conservancy, the climate situation may only worsen in the years to come.
#10
Wedding Under A Volcanic Eruption
#11
Wine Cellar After The California Earthquake
#12
My House Got Hit By A Landslide. Yes, Luckily Nobody Was Home, And The Dogs And Cat Are Ok Too
Chich the witch 23 hours ago
Had a guy in the area whose home was at the bottom of a steep slope. Decided he wanted to park his truck behind the house so dug out the bank and did nothing to shore it up. Slope collapsed in the night and totaled the house. He survived and is now blaming everyone and everything else for it.
“Every year, we venture further into uncharted territory, with 2024 the hottest year modern human society has ever experienced. Yet the coming decade is expected to be even hotter, pushing us deeper into this unprecedented climate,” Dr. Parsons told The Guardian.
#13
Came Back To Check The House After The Neighborhood Flooded From The Hurricane. I Wasn’t Expecting My Car To Look Like This
#14
SpongeBob Is Moving Because Of The Hurricane
#15
Hurricane Matthew
Just me, Happy Flower 13 hours ago
I live close to Jacksonville, FL. When the big hurricanes come towards us, the Gulf Stream grabs them and slam it in South Carolina.
Fortunately, there are steps we can take to mitigate the effects of climate change. The United Nations shared “ten actions for a healthy planet,” which includes saving energy at home by reducing heating and cooling use, switching to solar energy, and taking public transportation to minimize CO2 use.
“Think about your electricity use and your travel. Check your dinner table. Reuse whatever you can. The possibilities for action are many – and add up fast.”
#16
What Does It Feel Like To Experience A Massive Earthquake?
#17
Zagreb, Croatia, Experienced A 5.3 Magnitude Earthquake In The Middle Of A Pandemic
#18
Got My First Ever House With A Backyard, So I Was So Stoked And Planted My First Ever Crop
I was super excited to get some corn, but the hurricane had different plans.
Blue Bunny of Happiness 1 day ago
My ex invested in an ethical pension scheme that involved planting and harvesting trees. Unfortunately the trees were in Costa Rica and destroyed by a hurricane…
#19
Everything Left From My House After A California Wildfire
Wildfire happened in 2017, and my mom and I were finally ready to go through the 7 buckets we had filled after sifting through the ash right after the fire. It was definitely a very rough time, and I still have moments, but it has made me grateful for the people and not the things in my life!
Laszlo Larthlanc 2 hours ago
More than a couple of these wildfires have been caused by electrical utility companies, and they'll deny it until they get publicly smashed in the face with the irrefutable evidence. And then, after the lawsuits and massive fines & payouts the state allows them to raise their rates to a ridiculous degree in order to pay themselves back. This is permitted by the CPUC -- the California Public Utilities Commission -- most of whose members once worked for these very same utilities. The Governor has some authority over this commission, but frequently seems to be in bed with them, regardless of his political affiliation.
#20
This Guy Left The House With His PlayStation 5 After A Strong Earthquake Hit Morocco
#21
A Giant Fish Caught By Sailors In Chile. They Usually Live In The Deepest Parts Of The Ocean, So One Being Caught Is Taken As A Signal Of An Earthquake
#22
Last Night's 1-2 AM "Family Camping Trip". Daughter Unaware Of Tornado Nearby Destroying Our Town
We chose that bathroom because it is fairly central in the house and has no windows. It is our safest option, although I honestly don't know what, if any difference it would make if we got hit with something big.
AtMostAFabulist 1 day ago
Usually you see the bathroom as the only room left standing in the shows about tornadoes
#24
Hurricane Ivan Blew The Roof Off My House And Destroyed Almost Everything I Own
My wife and kids are safe and away from the house. I was here because of work obligations and needed to be close to the hospital when the call came to respond. I’m safe and unharmed, but still processing what happened 3 hours later.
#27
Have You Ever Experienced A Natural Disaster?
#28
Dogs Locked Us Out Of The Car While Evacuating From Hurricane Ida. That Feller In The Picture Was Unlocking It For Me
#29
My “New” Car, I’ve Had For Less Than A Month Now
David Paterson 14 hours ago
I worry about how roof solar power will fare in the next big hailstorm.
#30
Morning After The First Tornado: The Physics Involved Here Just Blows My Mind
It went next to our house and then veered a few yards over and took the roof off the house behind us. And through any vegetation/trees, it just looks like a monster trekked through.
Obviously, there are many more devastating pictures of the real aftermath, but I just couldn’t get over the idea of the little guy.
#31
Oregon Wildfires Are Making It Look Straight Apocalyptic
#32
A Man In South Dakota Proposed To His Fiancée While A Tornado Swirled Right Behind Them
#33
Bushfires Are Terrifying
David Paterson 14 hours ago
What made this particular one in Canberra special was the coincidence of bushfire and extreme winds. The winds were strong enough to damage dwellings on their own. In one place the fires and wind combined into a firenado. The observatory on Mt Stromlo was in the fire.
#34
The Flight Headed To Hawaii From Dallas Turns Back After A Tsunami Warning
#35
Nearly One Month After Finally Repairing My House From Hurricane Laura, One Of The Worst Rainstorms In 50 Years Hit My Town And Filled My House With Water
We got 12 inches of rain in a matter of hours. The main problem is that our city’s drainage is still so bad from Hurricanes Laura and Delta that it all just overflowed. My wife walked home because the roads were impassable, even with a lifted truck; it was nearly impossible. She is 5’5”, and the water was over her stomach in multiple stretches.
We thankfully have had good insurance luck so far, but we are going to just dip into savings and fix this ASAP, and hopefully they come through for us.
#36
Grabbing Grover
Kelly Scott 20 hours ago (edited)
After Loma Prieta and the Nisqually earthquakes, I still consider any quake at 5.0 and under to be a baby quake. Of course, it depends on where you are. A baby quake, if I were at the top of the Space Needle, would have me waiting for my imagined d***h and the condition of my underwear would reflect that feeling.
#37
This Is My Dad’s ‘72 Buick Skylark Floating Away During Hurricane Sally. By The Time They Rescued Their Other Cars, This One Had Water In The Tailpipe
#38
Owned Our First House For Exactly A Week, Then A Hurricane Hit
My girlfriend and I finally purchased our first home towards the end of September, and literally a week to the date, Hurricane Helene decided to sweep through Augusta and make a mess of everything. Get to put our new Homeowners Insurance policy to work instantly…
tracy black 23 hours ago
hurricane helene was horrible we got it here in east tn and we are 5 hours from the nearest ocean some areas here are still recovered
#39
My Family’s Blueberry Farm After Hurricane Ian
#40
Nice While It Lasted. An Out-Of-Nowhere Thunderstorm With Strong Winds
I’ve wanted one of these FOREVER. Finally bought one and bought a rug, mood lighting, and plants to decorate. It lasted for exactly one month.
Kelly Scott 20 hours ago
I have a cheap metal canopy and we get some pretty strong winds here. The best thing to do with something like that is to put the legs in cinderblocks, tie the canopy cover down to the cinder blocks with paracord, not the stuff they give you, and then fill the blocks with sand. I don't know at what wind speed this wouldn't work anymore but for now, doing it like this has held my canopy through some pretty high winds. The worst of them only twisted the cover around a little bit and all I had to do was straighten it out again and retie it down. Now snow on the canopy cover, though, will collapse the canopy quicker than you can say Jack Bat.
#41
Heatwave Has Caused My Glass Table To Explode (All Over My Freshly Painted Decking)
Thankfully, we never bought this; the previous owners left it when we bought the place, and it hasn't been a priority to replace it - until now!
#42
It's Such A Surreal Experience
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 day ago
Native/lifelong Californians get pretty inured to earthquakes pretty quickly XD We can usually tell within the first few seconds how bad a quake is going to be, what type it is, and whether we need to even bother getting under a desk/stand in a doorway. Most of the time it's just "Oh, it's a quake" and we wait until the shaking is over and then get back to whatever we were doing XD
#44
In A Strikingly Poignant Metaphor, The Largest Free-Flying American Flag In The Country Was Torn Apart During Severe Thunderstorms In Sheboygan, WI
#45
My Wife And I Bought Our First House In April. Today, We Had To Leave Everything Behind To Evacuate A Massive Wildfire
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 day ago
That's gotta be California. We sometimes joke that we only have three seasons here: Hot, hotter, and wildfires :(
#46
Living In Japan, Having A Happy New Year, Then This Happens
A pretty big earthquake occurred, and a Tsunami Warning was issued.
#47
Power Went Out For 18 Hours During A 106-Degree Heat Wave… 3 Days After A $400 Fridge Restock
Pictured is only 1 of 3 bags that must be thrown out. We added ice to the fridge, but things were still warm to the touch. With food prices the way they are, I’m devastated. I’ve cried for 2 hours straight. I don’t know how y’all do it after a natural disaster like a hurricane or tornado.
#48
"I Think I'm In Labor"
#49
The View Out The Window Was Insane
Kelly Scott 20 hours ago (edited)
That was a long earthquake. It seemed to stop, then came back and rolled again. When it was over, I opened the door to my (ground floor) apartment and hollered out, ""Woohoo! Seven point oh!" I was almost right. My next-door neighbor, whose husband constantly played loud music and drove me crazy, came over with her daughter crying and shaking and told me her husband's speakers had fallen off the wall. I was like, "YES!" right in front of her. Another thing. My neighbors' daughter was a loud pain in the b**t, running constantly through the apartment night and day. If she wasn't doing that, she was screaming under my windows or messing with my water faucet (landlord eventually had to take the handle off because she wouldn't leave it alone). Three days after I moved in, I knew I was going to move out as soon as my 6 month lease was up, so I hadn't unpacked hardly anything. All my china and porcelain horses were well wrapped and boxed up and because of that, none of them were broken.
#50
Driving Through An Ice Storm Made It Look Like I Broke My Windshield
Robyn Hill 14 hours ago
I hate, absolutely HATE, ice storms. They terrify me way more than tornados. Sitting in the dark listening to the ice on the windows, and the cracking and falling of branches outside, is hands-down the worst weather thing I’ve been through.
#51
A Year Later, We Ended Up Buying The Same Honda Civic
Spencers slave no more 1 day ago
They didn't buy the Honda Civic totaled by the hail, they bought the same model Civic in the same colour, and that was totaled by a drunk driver. So they bought a third, same model Civic, just in a "slightly" different colour.
#52
What Was Your "I Will Never Forget This Storm" Experience?
#54
Your Idea Of "Excellent Experience" Varies Greatly From Mine, My Friend
#56
After A 6.9 Earthquake, The 2-Month-Old Monitor That I Saved Up For A Year Was The Only Thing That Got Broken In Our House
#57
Volcanic Eruption In Hawaii
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Miriam Insidecor 21 hours ago
This is terrifying. I'm so glad I don't live in place prone to extreme weather and earthquakes.
Nikki Sevven 22 hours ago
2011 was a banner disaster year in Massachusetts. We had an EF3 tornado destroy large swathes of the state. It destroyed a huge cluster of birch trees in my dad's neighbor's yard. Dad slept through it. Then, on Halloween, we had a blizzard that destroyed so much infrastructure that we were without power for more than a week.
BookFanatic 1 day ago
My "tornado story" is ridiculously bland compared to these. I was ten and home alone (it was the 80s, and I didn't want to run errands with my mother) when the sirens went off. The sky was green, lightning was splintering, wind roaring. I raced across the lawn to my neighbor's. She stuffed her daughter and me into the space between the washer & dryer and flung a mattress on top before standing in the doorway. Looking back, I realize what a mom move that was--protect the kids and stand between them and danger. (Also, my mom made it home shortly afterward and I got the scolding of my life for not just going down to our basement!)
Miriam Insidecor 21 hours ago
This is terrifying. I'm so glad I don't live in place prone to extreme weather and earthquakes.
Nikki Sevven 22 hours ago
2011 was a banner disaster year in Massachusetts. We had an EF3 tornado destroy large swathes of the state. It destroyed a huge cluster of birch trees in my dad's neighbor's yard. Dad slept through it. Then, on Halloween, we had a blizzard that destroyed so much infrastructure that we were without power for more than a week.
BookFanatic 1 day ago
My "tornado story" is ridiculously bland compared to these. I was ten and home alone (it was the 80s, and I didn't want to run errands with my mother) when the sirens went off. The sky was green, lightning was splintering, wind roaring. I raced across the lawn to my neighbor's. She stuffed her daughter and me into the space between the washer & dryer and flung a mattress on top before standing in the doorway. Looking back, I realize what a mom move that was--protect the kids and stand between them and danger. (Also, my mom made it home shortly afterward and I got the scolding of my life for not just going down to our basement!)
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