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.
#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.
Image credits: donnaeilidhkean
#2 Colorado Man Reunited With His Donkey, Ennis, After Fire Swept Through His Town
Image credits: BarefootUnicorn
#3 Found Her Cat 16 Days After The Tornado
Image credits: Suzy Hoskins
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
Image credits: ertology
#5 Cat Walking Away From A Volcanic Eruption
Image credits: Attrip
#6 A Cat And A Dog Cuddled Together After Being Rescued From The Rubble In Earthquake-Hit Syria
Image credits: Yasemin Altunterim
“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
Image credits: bananabrownie
#8 Dog Carries Whole Bag Of Dog Food After Hurricane Harvey
Image credits: Olepat
#9 Storm Chasin In West Texas
Image credits: laura plant
"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
Image credits: Gainsborough-Smythe
#11 A Photo Of Incarcerated Firefighters Resting After Fighting A Socal Wildfire. They Get $2-$5/Day For That Work
Image credits: jeremotographs
#12 So Yesterday I Was On My Way To Phoenix And I Captured One Of The Craziest Photos!!
Image credits: jsab73
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
Image credits: hmchl
#14 The Power Of Hurricane Force Winds
Image credits: imgur.com
#15 Last Day On The Line After 6 Years In Wildfire. It Has Been An Honor. Stay Safe!
Image credits: CanisPecuarius
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.
#16 Firenado!!!!
Chillicothe, Missouri
Image credits: changemyname
#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!
Image credits: imgur.com
#18 When You Wake Up To 40" - 44" Of Snow In One Night
Image credits: ledgendary
“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
Image credits: universesplaything
#20 Oregon Wildfires Making It Look Straight Apocalyptic
Image credits: RavenRosie
#21 The Fourth Largest City Of Sweden, Uppsala, Is Currently Flooded. The Swedes Aren’t That Concerned
Image credits: PpelTaren
#22 Eruption Happening In St. Vincent Today
Image credits: Cereys
#23 Getting Away From An Erupting Volcano Today
Image credits: iweirdness
#24 Green Sky During A Storm In South Dakota
Image credits: twistedskystudios
#25 Valencia Right Now After The Floods
Image credits: Prazf
#26 My Aunt Took This Picture Of A Tornado At My Grandparents Farm That Touched Down Yesterday. South Dakota
Image credits: ManicFirestorm
#27 Tree Struck By Lightning Burning From Inside Out
Image credits: Ridgeville Township Volunteer Fire Department
#28 The Ongoing Eruption Of Mt Etna In Italy
Image credits: Risingmagpie
#29 Tornado In Southern Romania, Today
Image credits: vladgrinch
#30 Blizzard Blew The Man Door On My Garage Open Yesterday
Image credits: PCDevine
#31 20ft Shipping Container Found Wrapped Around A Tree After A Flood
Image credits: vahlalala
#32 A Kangaroo Rushes Past A Burning House In Lake Conjola, Nsw
Image credits: unbreaKwOw
#33 Roads In Turkey After The 7.8 Earthquake
Image credits: esberat
#34 Overnight Storm Winds In Ga Moved A House Into The Road
Image credits: Delphine11
#35 Man Sits On Bench With His Dog During Hurricane Harvey
Image credits: Jaredrap
#36 Not The Beautiful Florida View Anyone Imagined! Courtesy Of Hurricane Ian
Image credits: dragracedave
#37 A Street Completely Ripped Apart By The Floods In Germany
Image credits: spookyspirelli
#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
Image credits: reddit.com
#39 Sunrise Over The San Fransisco Bay Today. Pier 45 Is On Fire At The Moment
Image credits: Palana
#40 This Is The Power Of An Avalanche!
Image credits: IdahoSavage
#41 3pm In Port Macquarie, Nsw During The Wildfires
Image credits: 1s8w2MILtway
#42 6000 People Isolated After An Avalanche Obstructed A Tunnel In Italy
Image credits: Meteo & Radar Italia
#43 Wind Turbine After Being Hit By A Tornado
Image credits: earthmoonsun
#44 Flooding In Auckland, Nz
Image credits: BabaYadaPoe
#45 Waiting For A Fish Fry In Western New York After A Blizzard!
Image credits: robbo4025
#46 Itap Of The Lightning Through My Window During A Recent Thunderstorm
Image credits: Live-Guarantee-1893
#47 It's Currently -35°c Outside. The Water In The Air Freezes Making An Ice Fog
Image credits: MightyKin
#48 Sister In A Bright Orange Work Suit Blending In With The #mallacoota Sky
Image credits: brendanh_au
#49 Hurricane Damaged Boardwalk
Image credits: aryeh95
#50 Before And After Hurricane Lan [fort Myers Florida]
Image credits: AutomaticAd5811
