Who's afraid of Mother Nature?

[OnBackground]

In the wake of the South Asian tsunami, you may wonder what the odds are that mother nature will take you down. Don't be nervous, you are much more likely to do it yourself or lose your life through some human-made calamity.

Here are the lifetime odds of succumbing to various natural calamities:

Exposure to excessive natural cold... 1 in 6,165
Exposure to excessive natural heat... 1 in 12,310
Cataclysmic storm... 1 in 68,388
Lightning... 1 in 83,930
Flood... 1 in 105, 512
Earthquake... 1 in 131,890
Exposure to all other unspecified forces of nature... 1 in 92,323

And here are the lifetime odds of expiring from some specific causes of death, based on official tallies:

Suicide... 1 in 121
Car accident... 1 in 247
Pedestrian accident... 1 in 608
Complications from medical or surgical care...1 in 1,222
Riding a bike... 1 in 4,663
Falling from a ladder or scaffold... 1 in 8,412
Legal execution... 1 in 58,618
Being buried alive in a cave-in or landslide... 1 in 65,945
Dog bite... 1 in 147,717
Fireworks accident... 1 in 615,488

from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11298-2005Jan15.html

[Atman]

1. Hmm...much better odds than Bush beating the exit polls!

Now THAT is scary!

Mother Nature vs. a mofo. I'd rather take my chances with Mother Nature, thank you very much.

[BlueEyedSon]

2. Death from suicide more common than a car accident? Whoa!

[brainshrub]

3. I don't fear nature, I respect her.

Big difference.

Conservatives fear nature, that's why they have difficulty empathizing with nature or seeing value in unspoiled land.

Environmentalists, and the vast majority of Liberals, view nature as a part of themselves. This engenders a world-view of respect for the system in which we all live.

[Demeter]

4. Don't See Any Odds on Death From Bush Family

Just curious. They've hurt so many already....

[murray hill farm]

5. The "nature" statistics are skewed..

Since so much of the world population cannot die from floods..are are much more likely to not die from floods..since they do not live in areas that flood...only certain areas experience earthquakes..and as i understand it, if you are a golfer...and live in florida..you have a greater chance of being hit by lightening..or if you have been hit by lightening once, the odds greatly improve your chances of a second hit. Just blathering..hehe!