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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.
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
Storm Chasin In West Texas
"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
Rainbow And Tornado
#11
A Photo Of Incarcerated Firefighters Resting After Fighting A Socal Wildfire. They Get $2-$5/Day For That Work
JK 1 day 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.
#12
So Yesterday I Was On My Way To Phoenix And I Captured One Of The Craziest Photos!!
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
House Frozen By Lake Erie During This Week’s Blizzard In Buffalo
#14
The Power Of Hurricane Force Winds
#15
Last Day On The Line After 6 Years In Wildfire. It Has Been An Honor. Stay Safe!
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
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!
#18
When You Wake Up To 40" - 44" Of Snow In One Night
“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
Oregon Wildfires Making It Look Straight Apocalyptic
#21
The Fourth Largest City Of Sweden, Uppsala, Is Currently Flooded. The Swedes Aren’t That Concerned
#22
Eruption Happening In St. Vincent Today
#23
Getting Away From An Erupting Volcano Today
#24
Green Sky During A Storm In South Dakota
#25
Valencia Right Now After The Floods
#26
My Aunt Took This Picture Of A Tornado At My Grandparents Farm That Touched Down Yesterday. South Dakota
#27
Tree Struck By Lightning Burning From Inside Out
#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
AtMostAFabulist 1 day ago
Not human resilience, unless there is a human skateboarding over the cracks.
#34
Overnight Storm Winds In Ga Moved A House Into The Road
#35
Man Sits On Bench With His Dog During Hurricane Harvey
#36
Not The Beautiful Florida View Anyone Imagined! Courtesy Of Hurricane Ian
#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
Sunrise Over The San Fransisco Bay Today. Pier 45 Is On Fire At The Moment
#40
This Is The Power Of An Avalanche!
#41
3pm In Port Macquarie, Nsw During The Wildfires
CaptainBungonia 21 hours 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 19 hours 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
Flooding In Auckland, Nz
#45
Waiting For A Fish Fry In Western New York After A Blizzard!
#46
Itap Of The Lightning Through My Window During A Recent Thunderstorm
#47
It's Currently -35°c Outside. The Water In The Air Freezes Making An Ice Fog
Geoffrey Scott 19 hours 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.
#48
Sister In A Bright Orange Work Suit Blending In With The #mallacoota Sky
PinkittenGirl(she/they) 9 hours ago (edited)
so the nether really is real. now where are those piglins?
#49
Hurricane Damaged Boardwalk
#50
Before And After Hurricane Lan [fort Myers Florida]
Note: this post originally had 100 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
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What do you think ?
AtMostAFabulist 1 day ago
A lot of interesting pictures, but I am not seeing a lot of the resilience of people.
Warren Peece 15 hours 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 15 hours 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 7 hours 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 3 hours ago
I'm in East Texas, not far from the Louisiana border. We're expecting snow tomorrow. Ridiculous.
Load More Replies... Pink kitty 16 hours ago
I would have enjoyed reading this more without the constant 'leon' ads blocking my screen
PrettyJoyBird 3 hours ago
Agree! Every 5 seconds with the pop up ads blocking screen!
Load More Replies...
Warren Peece 3 hours ago
Okay, here are some dates for you: Dates-678f...07cd51.jpg 
My O My 19 hours ago
As a german: lern how to build proper houses! Half of these are due to low quality buildings
RedMarbles 13 hours 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 1 day ago
A lot of interesting pictures, but I am not seeing a lot of the resilience of people.
Warren Peece 15 hours 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 15 hours 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 7 hours 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 3 hours ago
I'm in East Texas, not far from the Louisiana border. We're expecting snow tomorrow. Ridiculous.
Load More Replies... Pink kitty 16 hours ago
I would have enjoyed reading this more without the constant 'leon' ads blocking my screen
PrettyJoyBird 3 hours ago
Agree! Every 5 seconds with the pop up ads blocking screen!
Load More Replies... Warren Peece 3 hours ago
Okay, here are some dates for you: Dates-678f...07cd51.jpg
My O My 19 hours ago
As a german: lern how to build proper houses! Half of these are due to low quality buildings
RedMarbles 13 hours 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... You May Like 50 Interesting Medical Cases That Might Make You Appreciate The Human Body (New Pics) 50 Times Random Things Just Fit Perfectly Together And It Was Very Satisfying (New Pics)
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