What would you do in the aftermath of a natural disaster?

Have you wondered how you would react if say a major earthquake struck where you live?
Scenario: your are at work, your spouse or significant other is miles away at work and your kids are miles away in another direction. All lines of communication are down...police and emergency services are tellling everyone to stay put...Would you? Could you? The fear and heartache of not knowing if your loved ones are okay, or even alive. I don't think I could stay put. I think that for my mental health I would have to try and get to them!
My husband and I have discussed this, and he says that he would get to me whatever it took, orders be damned! I like to think that that is true. Of course we live in a rural area, lots of woods. I have mentioned in other threads that we live on the New Madrid fault, and this is something that we will probably have to face someday. Just curious how some of you would handle this and if you thought that you could follow orders to stay where you are or would something in you make you have to follow your heart...

reply to post by Greenize


I'd wholeheartedly like to think that I would set out to find my other half and close family, no matter what it took - including my own life.

However, I also genuinely believe that with hypothetical situations anyone can, at best, only "like to think" that they'd do something. I suppose, in reality, there's no way of actually knowing until that 'something' happens.

Star & Flag

Having lived on the streets for several years in my younger days i would pretty much just do what i did then.

Stock up on as many supplies as possible, acquire some sort of arms (preferably concealable) and start walking.

Go wherever the day took me, attempt to find people who share the same interests and resolve to survive. From there well it's community building and what not.

Basically what all humans have done throughout history after such disasters.

Most of us are blessed that this is only a hypothetical question. I have never known a disaster. I dread the thought of one.
A few years ago we have an earthquake that was a 4. something and I cried. It was scary because we heard it before the shaking started and thought a jet was flying over very low. I can't swear that I wouldn't be frozen with fear!