Detroit named safest city from natural disasters?

[Lowell]

I read it on the internet so it must be true. This was pronounced in a WDIV new bite.

Being aware of internet listicles as a means of getting folks to flip pages, I searched "safest city from natural disasters" and found another one where "Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich." comes in a number 10. Link

Located on the northwest edge of Detroit's metropolitan area, these three suburbs may not be vulnerable to natural disasters, but they certainly aren't safe from the financial disaster of the city they surround -- bankrupt Detroit. But besides the occasional heavy storm, over its history the area has remained fairly disaster-free. Source

On this New York Times list we get no mention.

So do you feel safe from natural disasters compared to elsewhere? Remembering the 1997 tornado which did a lot of damage to my Highland Park house, I wonder. For me, living in an active earthquake zone would be the worst. At least here we get some warning or a sense that bad things could happen.

[stinkytofu]

I don't doubt it at all. I have that conversation frequently regarding the perks of living around here...and a lack of natural disasters is pretty big. No hurricanes, no forest fires, VERY minimal earthquakes, minimal tornados [[this is probably biggest threat to life), minimal serious flooding. Let's go SimCity 2000 natural disaster style...we don't even have too many alien spaceships attack!

[jt1]

Yet Detroit and people in Michigan continue contributing to FEMA and otehr disaster relief in known disaster areas. I find it funny that when Detroit's problems are mentioned the first comment is, "No tax dollars should be spent to help them" or "AUto insurance should be high since crime is high." But...if there is a forest fire, flood along the Mississippi, Hurricane Sandy then we are expected to have tax dollars help and the insurance companies hit us with an increase because they had to pay out more than expected.

Seems we are always contributing to help others when disaster hits. Perhaps they should choose to live areas that are not known for tropical storms, forest fires, mudslides, flooding, etc.

End rant.

[TKshreve]

Lowell - I've put a lot of thought into this very subject. Rattle off as many natural disasters you can think of, and then try to compare them to regions that are known for that exact thing. Many of those places are far from here. Here's a small sampling:

Hurricane - Gulf/East Coast
Tornadoes - South/Midwest*
Flooding - Debatable, but ocean coastal cities are worse off. Add into that the valley states and large river basin regions [[Ohio Valley, Tennessee Valley, Missouri River Basin)
Earthquake - California [[My guess is one is coming very soon too)
Drought - [[well, it's not the Great Lakes region I'll say)
Sinkholes - Florida
Landslides - South America and Asia
Wildfires - Out west
Barbara Streisdand - Broadway
Blizzards - Maine, Minnesota, Grand Rapids
Avalanche - Yeah.... we're ok here.


*Tornadoes may be on the rise as storm systems increase in volatility and unpredictability. Just my opinion. If our climate changes.... it would be violent spring weather IMO.

[TKshreve]

Another prediction of mine would be if climate change did raise the average temperature, our region would be the safest in the country. We have fresh water, solid soil for digging in and an industrial skeleton to manufacture our way through it.

[313WX]

Yet Detroit and people in Michigan continue contributing to FEMA and otehr disaster relief in known disaster areas. I find it funny that when Detroit's problems are mentioned the first comment is, "No tax dollars should be spent to help them" or "AUto insurance should be high since crime is high." But...if there is a forest fire, flood along the Mississippi, Hurricane Sandy then we are expected to have tax dollars help and the insurance companies hit us with an increase because they had to pay out more than expected.

Seems we are always contributing to help others when disaster hits. Perhaps they should choose to live areas that are not known for tropical storms, forest fires, mudslides, flooding, etc.

End rant.

The theory is, of course, our disaster is man made, while people have no control over the natural disasters that impact them elsewhere.

As someone aptly put it, it's bittersweet knowing that the one positive thing about Detroit [[that matters) is something we can't even control.

[jt1]

The theory is, of course, our disaster is man made, while people have no control over the natural disasters that impact them elsewhere.

As someone aptly put it, it's bittersweet knowing that the one positive thing about Detroit [[that matters) is something we can't even control.

I would say rebuilding a home after a flood in a known flood plain is man made. I would say living in a city that is on the ocean but below the water level is man made. I would say living in an area that is known for hurricanes is man made.

A bad decisions is still a bad decision it's just that our federal government rewards some bad decisions and not others.

[mtburb]

Down here, quite a few weeks ago there was a funnel cloud that was confirmed in Taylor...but the last time a tornado actually touched down within the city of Wyandotte was on June 29, 1987. This tornado, which touched down in the block bounded by Eureka Road and Sycamore, 14th and 15th Streets, didn't even hurt anyone.

[Honky Tonk]

Down here, quite a few weeks ago there was a funnel cloud that was confirmed in Taylor...but the last time a tornado actually touched down within the city of Wyandotte was on June 29, 1987. This tornado, which touched down in the block bounded by Eureka Road and Sycamore, 14th and 15th Streets, didn't even hurt anyone.

About 1997, FEMA was in Hamtown when a tornado [[?) made a mess of some of the neighborhoods.

[EastsideAl]

Yet Detroit and people in Michigan continue contributing to FEMA and otehr disaster relief in known disaster areas. I find it funny that when Detroit's problems are mentioned the first comment is, "No tax dollars should be spent to help them" or "AUto insurance should be high since crime is high." But...if there is a forest fire, flood along the Mississippi, Hurricane Sandy then we are expected to have tax dollars help and the insurance companies hit us with an increase because they had to pay out more than expected.

Seems we are always contributing to help others when disaster hits. Perhaps they should choose to live areas that are not known for tropical storms, forest fires, mudslides, flooding, etc.

End rant.

Sometimes I wish there was a "thumps up" button here.

[GUSHI]

we don't need natural disasters to destroy the city, we did a good job on destroying it by ourselves.

[Ray1936]

My adopted home of Las Vegas Metro area is free from nearly all of the above. Some areas are prone to flash floods, but they are rare and easily identified. Someone buying a home should check on the Clark County site which clearly markes areas prone to flash floods. Nevada has had two F1 tornados in the last decade. There has not been an earthquake above 3 on the Richter scale ever recorded.

Now....drought......we're secretly putting a big pipe into Lake Michigan, and.................

[313WX]

I would say rebuilding a home after a flood in a known flood plain is man made. I would say living in a city that is on the ocean but below the water level is man made. I would say living in an area that is known for hurricanes is man made.

A bad decisions is still a bad decision it's just that our federal government rewards some bad decisions and not others.

Not that I disagree with what you're saying, but most Americans are obviously taking the higher risk of experiencing a natural disaster than having to deal with Detroit's problems.

[ABetterDetroit]

Q : How many times is the National Flood Insurance program going to rebuild the same homes over and over? It is nothing but another federal program that operates at a annual loss year after year on our dime. Why not should people who choose to live on a flood plain not have to buy their insurance through the free market at actuarially determined pricing just like auto insurance rates in Detroit?

[poobert]

Numbers 2 - 5 are Charlotte, Denver, Boston, and San Francisco.

I can't speak for Charlotte, having never been or lived there, but Denver, Boston, and San Fran are beautiful, eminently livable cities. So you could live there and still be safe and actually have a quality of life outside of the choice here between debilitating ghetto or banal, soul-crushing suburbia.

[ABetterDetroit]

Numbers 2 - 5 are Charlotte, Denver, Boston, and San Francisco.

I can't speak for Charlotte, having never been or lived there, but Denver, Boston, and San Fran are beautiful, eminently livable cities. So you could live there and still be safe and actually have a quality of life outside of the choice here between debilitating ghetto or banal, soul-crushing suburbia.

Uhh... Something sounds amiss there at #5, they had a quake in 1908 that burned the city to the ground. The world series quake was a fire starter as well and a damn bad day on the freeway for some folks.

[Lowell]

It crosses my mind that another thing we don't worry about are animal threats. Having lived a couple of years in an area of Africa infested with mambas, cobras and other poisonous snakes and insects, lions, hippos [the worst], crocodiles and more, I never had to worry about having my kid [or me] playing in the forest and getting snatched by a python.

It doesn't even cross our minds here but that is in the back of everyone's mind, all the time over there. Open the hood of your car with care. A cobra may have found your cooling yet warm engine a nice place to nestle.

That isn't factored in the above lists of safest places.

[Danny]

Detroit safe from natural disasters, HAH! Detroit gets tornadoes, flash floods, frequent lightling, gusty winds, powerful winter storms and even small earthquakes.

[313WX]

Uhh... Something sounds amiss there at #5, they had a quake in 1908 that burned the city to the ground. The world series quake was a fire starter as well and a damn bad day on the freeway for some folks.

No, it's right.

San Francisco virtually sees no active weather, aside from the occasional fog or light rain.

[Hermod]

My adopted home of Las Vegas Metro area is free from nearly all of the above. Some areas are prone to flash floods, but they are rare and easily identified. Someone buying a home should check on the Clark County site which clearly markes areas prone to flash floods. Nevada has had two F1 tornados in the last decade. There has not been an earthquake above 3 on the Richter scale ever recorded.

Now....drought......we're secretly putting a big pipe into Lake Michigan, and.................

Also after the "big one" and California slides into the pacific, you will have beachfront property.

[Hermod]

Detroit safe from natural disasters, HAH! Detroit gets tornadoes, flash floods, frequent lightling, gusty winds, powerful winter storms and even small earthquakes.

1. Detroit rarely gets a tornado.
2. Freeway underpass flooding due to inadequate storm sewerage is not a flash flood.
3. Come to Florida, you don't have the faintest idea of what lightning is.
4. Live on the coast and see what gusty winds are.
5. Detroit gets fewer heavy snow storms than do most midwestern cities.
6. Everywhere has small earthquakes.

[313WX]

1. Detroit rarely gets a tornado.
2. Freeway underpass flooding due to inadequate storm sewerage is not a flash flood.
3. Come to Florida, you don't have the faintest idea of what lightning is.
4. Live on the coast and see what gusty winds are.
5. Detroit gets fewer heavy snow storms than do most midwestern cities.
6. Everywhere has small earthquakes.

Very true with the bolded.

As much as we complain about our winters, we don't get the extreme winter weather other areas see.

For example, in the 2009-2010 winter, the D.C. [[Delmarva) area saw 2 or 3 snowstorms that dumped 2+ feet on the region. Meanwhile, in nearly 125 years of weather recording history, Detroit has never seen a 2 foot snowstorm.

As another example, in the wake of the GHD Blizzard in 2011, Detroit ONLY saw 6-10" and everything was operating normally within hours [[or a day). Meanwhile, Chicago was buried in 18-24" of snow with the city shut down and cars stranded on Lakeshore Drive for days.

[iheartthed]

No, it's right.

San Francisco virtually sees no active weather, aside from the occasional fog or light rain.

San Francisco is still perpetually at high risk for a debilitating natural disaster, which is why placing it so high seems to detract from the credibility of the list.

Another way to look at it: How is Chicago so much different from Detroit that they shouldn't rank very close in the level of danger?

[313WX]

San Francisco is still perpetually at high risk for a debilitating natural disaster, which is why placing it so high seems to detract from the credibility of the list.

An earthquake is only one out of several types of natural disasters.

And how often does a debilitating Earthquake happen in San Francisco? Once every 80 years?

Another way to look at it: How is Chicago so much different from Detroit that they shouldn't rank very close in the level of danger?

1. They have a much higher frequency of major blizzards/snowstorms [[once every 15 years or so) than Detroit does, partially because of enhancement from Lake Michigan, and partially because they're further away from the effects of the Appalachian Mountains [[a storm track that would bring these same major snowstorms to Detroit more frequently are harder to get because it involves low pressure centers tracking up the spine of the Appalachian Mountains)

2. Being west of Lake Michigan, severe t'storms in the Summer tend to have an easier time of maintaining their strength into Chicago, as the airmass is not modified by the cooler lake waters. As a result, they tend to see a lot more tornadic/damaging wind storms more frequently than we do in Detroit.

3. Chicago's western/northern/southern suburbs are much lower in elevation than Detroit's. As a result, the city doesn't benefit as much from the downsloping winds like Detroit does [[storms need strong lift to maintain themselves as well), and is also why Oakland/Livingston/Washtenaw County tends to see severe weather more frequently than Detroit proper.

[rb336]

I would add to that that Chicago does get the full effect of storms building across the plains, and Michigan's weather is mediated to a far greater extent by the Great Lakes. Illinois averages twice as many - and stronger - tornadoes every year compared to Michigan