natural disasters in the uk?

(We did have an earthquake here a few years ago when I was here in the UK. I also think there have been some tornadoes in the UK, just not in York since I've been here.)

Random fact: the UK actually gets 35-40 tornadoes every year (more than any other European country)! If I remember correctly (from my recent meteorology training) they are most common behind cold fronts, although they rarely develop enough to reach the ground (there were notable tornado events in 1950, 2005 and 2006 though). 

According to QI, the UK gets more tornados than the US.

There was the "mad cow" (BSE) epidemic in the late '80s. We pretty much gave up eating beef and to this day are barred from donating blood in the U.S.

Let's not forget the man-made disaster of Chernobyl. As I recall, there was evidence of it reaching Wales and we were advised not to eat lamb for some time. I think some farm land there is still regarded as "dirty."

ETA: and what about the Iceland volcano not so long ago, which had repercussions for the British Isles?

O_o ya know that worries me, because Japan's nuclear thing may explode and they know it wont effect us in the US but what about the UK and other countries!

The US is between Japan and the UK. If you go the other way, all of eurasia is between Japan and the UK.  Why would the UK be at risk when the US isn't? 

According to QI, the UK gets more tornados than the US.

Hmm... well, the US gets 1,200 per year and the UK only gets about 40 per year  .

I'm guessing though, that they are basing that statistic on tornadoes per unit area each year rather than total number per year? The UK is much smaller than the US, so in relation to its area, it probably does get more than the US .

That sounds like a QI justification 

Perhaps they meant the Tornado Typhoon built by Tornado Cars founded in 1957 by Bill Woodhouse and Tony Bullen in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, UK.

The US is between Japan and the UK. If you go the other way, all of eurasia is between Japan and the UK.  Why would the UK be at risk when the US isn't? 

oh ok. well im just a worrier and its been a hot topic on the news about what happens if it explodes, does it affect other countries as well

My husband also points out that there aren't any poisonous animals or any major predators. 

I thought the same thing but I saw that the UK has a deadly snake. Adder I think it was.

ipera berus, the common European adder[2] or common European viper,[3] is a venomous viper species that is extremely widespread and can be found throughout most of Western Europe and all the way to Far East Asia.[1] Known by a host of common names including Common adder and Common viper, adders have been the subject of much folklore in Britain and other European countries.[4] They are not regarded as highly dangerous;[2] the snake is not aggressive and usually only bites when alarmed or disturbed. Bites can be very painful, but are seldom fatal.[5] The specific name, berus, is New Latin and was at one time used to refer to a snake, possibly the grass snake, Natrix natrix.[6]

It says here that it isn't regarded as deadly? I saw an episode on Doc Martin that indicated it was deadly so who knows.

They can be deadly for people who are sensitive to them, or a problem for the very young or the very old.   

They can be deadly for people who are sensitive to them, or a problem for the very young or the very old.   

I read the other day that adders are declining in the UK - I've never seen one in my life, to be honest (or any other kind of snake in the UK), which is probably a good thing because I have an extreme phobia of the animal! That didn't bode well when I lived in New Mexico and took a geology field class... we were told to watch out for rattlesnakes in the area we were walking in !

Snopes and others have I think shown this to be a hoax:



http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/fallout.asp

There was the "mad cow" (BSE) epidemic in the late '80s. We pretty much gave up eating beef and to this day are barred from donating blood in the U.S.

Let's not forget the man-made disaster of Chernobyl. As I recall, there was evidence of it reaching Wales and we were advised not to eat lamb for some time. I think some farm land there is still regarded as "dirty."

ETA: and what about the Iceland volcano not so long ago, which had repercussions for the British Isles?

But two out of the three of those are not 'natural' disasters. They're man made (mad cow was eating feed made with beef, hence turning cattle into cannibals and Chernobyl was from lack of safety inside the plant) The dust from the Iceland volcano, scientists say may actually cool the earth down by a few degrees in the next year....

Floods, earthquakes... we've had them!

I'd definitely move back to California despite the hazards nor did I blink an eye when planning my trip to Japan last year.

The '89 earthquake did kinda make me not want to live in California anymore.

I read the other day that adders are declining in the UK - I've never seen one in my life, to be honest (or any other kind of snake in the UK), which is probably a good thing because I have an extreme phobia of the animal! That didn't bode well when I lived in New Mexico and took a geology field class... we were told to watch out for rattlesnakes in the area we were walking in !

Move to Ireland -- St. Paddy got rid of them all