Disaster

[fire_of_avalon]

Yesterday while I was at work the power suddenly went out with a loud boom. I thought that was super weird, but then it flickered back to life for a moment and there was another boom, the power went out for good and the safety lights came on.

I had been in the back of the clinic at the time so I went up front to check things out. I was greeted with chaos, my co-workers yelling at each other about calling 911, the phones being out, etc. I got my phone and dialed 911, which turned out to be busy, then asked "Why am I calling 911?"

They told me there was a fire, to go outside and see it for myself. I expected a brush fire, a car fire or at the worst a house on the hill behind us being on fire.

When I walked up to the sidewalk with a crowd of strangers, I saw this.

I don't panic for the most part. When I see something crazy in general I pretty quickly start making a plan and try thinking of how to get things right, keep people safe, etc.

When I saw this, I dropped my phone and gaped. I went completely blank and it took me a minute or so to get my head back and start thinking about evacuation. I wasn't as close as the videographer is, I was maybe a quarter mile away, but it was obvious to anyone watching this was either a gas fire.

Still, I kept thinking about the Exodus from Egypt and these verses from the Bible (KJV) "And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night" I never thought I'd see an actual pillar of fire.

The most important part of this disaster, though, is that there were no injuries or casualties. Minimal structural damage to surrounding buildings as well. I posted about it on facebook and a comment from someone reminded me that disasters similar in scope happen everyday in the lives of many people.

Have any of you experienced a disaster, natural or otherwise? How do you react when the proverbial trout hits the fan? Feel free to share your own stories here. Mine is small and not-life altering, but it does make me consider what might have been.

[Shorty]

holy trout, foa, that is nuuuuts. I can't believe you were so close to it.

I've never been a part of or a witness to a natural disaster. I think I'm long overdue for one, though. I have literally no idea how I would react.

[Sephex]

I think my girlfriend sent me a pic of this or something last night (took a pic of the news on the TV). Crazy.

As for any thing I personally witnessed? A lumber yard very close to my work once caught on fire. The smoke was so intense that work had to be shut down that day. It was and over time day on a Saturday, so we weren't that busy, but the fire looked similar to the video foa showed.

[Parker]

Thats scary as trout. Glad you're ok and no one was hurt.

I was in a car accident once but no one was injured apart from the typical whiplash-style pains you tend to get in small crashes. It could have been a lot worse, the truck that came into the back of us was unloaded, if it was full we'd probably be all very much injured or worse.

[rubah]

holy crap, foa

glad you're all right.

[Jessweeee♪]

I was at a friend's house when her next door neighbor's house exploded. We turned to leave and suddenly there's this huge boom noise and the ground is shaking and my first thought is "the TV fell? a bookshelf?" but the crashing sounds kept happening. We turned around and a tree was through her window and we're like "oh trout a tree fell." We go outside and it's actually just a small branch that broke through. There's smoke coming from next door, the other side of the tree. There was no roof.



Apparently the woman inside lit a cigarette and triggered a gas explosion. She survived with some first degree burns to the face.