Surviving natural disasters when you travel

When I would read about natural disasters I would always think, that’s terrible but it’s never going to happen to me — the same thought when you hear about a plane crash — for some unfathomable reason, you always feel that it’s never going to happen to you so you don’t think about preparing for it.

The hard reality that it could totally happen to me only resonated when I went to Thailand in 2005 and there was a Tsunami alert the day we were taking a boat to Phi Phi Island. Napping at the airport as we waited for our boat, we had no idea of the news until it was time to go. Our boat operator told us not to worry so we didn’t pay any attention to it. I only realized how serious the scare was when I saw 10 missed-calls from my parents who couldn’t get through to me until I was on the island. I called them immediately to see what was up when they told me about the alert being flashed continuously on the international news. Luckily nothing happened, the island was as tranquil as possible and it was more media hype than anything else.

But after this incident I couldn’t help wonder, what if there would have been another Tsunami? The thought was unnerving. I would have just relied on my instincts. What else could I have done?

There are a few things you can do to make sure you are minimizing the possibility of getting lost or being unreachable should a natural disaster hit the place you are visiting; freelance travel-writer Carly Blatt has written a comprehensive piece on how you can prepare yourself for a disaster — have a read of it here.

The preparation suggested in the article may seem paranoid but honestly, never take your safety (especially from natural disasters) for granted.

Posted by | Comments (3)  | February 16, 2008
Category: Notes from the collective travel mind


3 Responses to “Surviving natural disasters when you travel”

  1. Lolly Says:

    Thanks for this post – you are completely right, and it is important to be prepared. My husband and I were in Peru last summer when the 8.1 earthquake hit… it was a harrowing experience, but we learned a lot, and I don’t think we will ever travel the same way. We were separated for several hours in the process, so we will definitely think about these things in the future… if you are at all interested, I blogged about the earthquake here.
    Thanks~

  2. John Says:

    Thanks for the post, I completely agree. Can’t be too stingy about safety.

  3. Heatheronhertravels Says:

    How about a smoking volcano as an everyday travel hazard? – I hear that Mt Tungurahua in Ecuador has become active again since my visit in October – I wrote about it on my blog here.
    https://heatheronhertravels.blogspot.com/2008/01/sleeping-under-smoking-volcano.html