# Paradise on Earth **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 14, 2018, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352 "2018-09-14T18:45:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/41 "2018-09-17T01:37:46Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I will point out that Hawaii also has deadly earthquakes. In 1868 (150 years ago) 31 people were killed in a landslide during a 7.9 earthquake on the Big Island. Some other people drowned when a tsunami swept over them. This was long before any tsunami warning sirens were installed on the island. I was present for the 1975 7.2 earthquake. The whole town of Hilo shook violently, but damage to the town was minimal and no one died. On another part of the island, a camper was killed in a rock slide. Another person disappeared and the body was never found. Other parts of the island suffered a lot of property damage, but no other deaths were reported. Strict building codes are enforced on all new structures and virtually all of the older buildings and homes are low rise one story structures. The fact is that over the last 149 years, only one person has been confirmed dead from an earthquake in Hawaii. I don’t see how any one can say, “Hawaii has deadly earthquakes”. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/42 "2018-09-17T01:44:35Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > In 1868 (150 years ago) 31 people were killed in a landslide during a 7.9 earthquake on the Big Island. Some other people drowned when a tsunami swept over them. This was long before any tsunami warning sirens were installed on the island. > > I was present for the 1975 7.2 earthquake. The whole town of Hilo shook violently, but damage to the town was minimal and no one died. On another part of the island, a camper was killed in a rock slide. Another person disappeared and the body was never found. > The fact is that over the last 149 years, only one person has been confirmed dead from an earthquake in Hawaii. I don’t see how any one can say, “Hawaii has deadly earthquakes”. > **[1975 Hawaii earthquake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Hawaii_earthquake)** > > The 1975 Hawaii earthquake occurred on November 29 with a moment magnitude of 7.7 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). The shock affected several of the Hawaiian Islands and resulted in the deaths of two people and up to 28 injured. Significant damage occurred in the southern part of the Big Island totalling $4–4.1 million, and it also triggered a small brief eruption of Kilauea volcano. > The event generated a large tsunami that was as high as 47 feet (14 m) on Hawaii'i island and w... two dead. > **[1868 Hawaii earthquake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1868_Hawaii_earthquake)** > > The 1868 Hawaiʻi earthquake was the largest recorded in the history of Hawaiʻi island, with an estimated magnitude of 7.9 Mfa and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). The earthquake occurred at 4 p.m. local time on April 2, 1868 and caused a landslide and tsunami that led to 77 deaths. The aftershock sequence for this event has continued up to the present day. > The island of Hawaiʻi (commonly called the "Big Island") is the currently active volcanic center of the Hawaiian Islands formed o... 77 dead. Landslides or building collapses or whatever - if the landslide is caused by the earthquake, the earthquake killed the people. I mean you can say almost no one ever died in CA in a earthquake- it was the landslide or building collapse - few are actually swallowed whole by cracks. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/43 "2018-09-17T01:51:39Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > If you are defining “Paradise” by climate primarily - there is a reason so many people move to California. Sure, there are occasional earthquakes in SOME parts of the state, and there are a couple large volcanoes up north (Shasta and Lassen), but in my area the weather is so boring the local weatherman vacations in the mid-west chasing tornadoes. > > After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in the SF Bay Area, the big banks in SF decided it was not such a good idea to have their data centers there. They looked for a place not too far away that was devoid of natural disasters - Rancho Cordova, CA. Low risk of floods, wild-land fires, and earthquakes, and no tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, landslides, volcanoes, sinkholes, tsunamis, or sandstorms. Other than the summer heat (which can be mitigated), and the occasional winter tule fog bank (getting more rare with the drought), the climate in this area is as boring as can be, perfect for protecting your banking data, but does not make for an exciting landscape, tho, and certainly not a Paradise. California has a Mediterranean climate, a rare and small type of climate limited to parts of the Mediterranean, part of the coast of Chile, and part of the coast of South Africa. It is characterized by mild wet winters and long cool dry summers. California has the most extreme natural drought of any of mediterranean climate zones. What that means is that although it seems benign to humans who are busily mining the aquifers, they are blind to the limiting factor there, which is water. Things die of thirst there, not cold. I lived there almost my whole life and came to hate all the people literally sucking the life out of the place. Yeah, used to be a paradise before the Europeans showed up. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/44 "2018-09-17T02:24:22Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Sure. But I was in San Jose. And I have lived thru 60 years of CA earthquakes and that’s my total damage. > > Hurricanes kill about 20 people _a year ,_ lightning 55, tornadoes 70, etc etc. > > Earthquakes in CA have killed less than 200 Californians in that last 60 years, or about 3 people a year. You are nearly 20 times more likely to be hit by lightning than killed in a CA earthquake. So what? That’s not really relevant, is it? The OP asked for places that experience NO problems from natural disasters. Your response made it sound like earthquakes are something Californians never have to worry about at all. That’s patently untrue. Indeed, I am typing this sitting in a hotel room on vacation in a town hit by one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded in California. If I want, I can walk about 1/2 mile up the highway to the graveyard in which most of the 27 victims are buried (56 people were injured). The only reason the totals were so low is that the earthquake hit in a very lightly populated area; an earthquake of approximately the same size 34 years later killed some 3000 people just a couple hundred miles away. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/45 "2018-09-17T02:25:30Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > few are actually swallowed whole by cracks. Except, of course, pretty newspaper reporters. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/46 "2018-09-17T02:59:57Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > So what? That’s not really relevant, is it? The OP asked for places that experience NO problems from natural disasters. Your response made it sound like earthquakes are something Californians never have to worry about at all. That’s patently untrue. Statistically, earthquakes are a minor issue in CA, they are barely a blip. You are nearly 20 times more likely to be hit by lightning than killed in a CA earthquake. People over worry about CA earthquakes. Also, not counted as Earthquake deaths for some reason is the: \*1946, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake on Unimak Island in Alaska triggered a tsunami that killed 159 people in Hawaii, five in Alaska and one in California. \* > **[The 10 Deadliest Earthquakes in U.S. History](https://www.wired.com/2008/11/gallery-deadly-earthquake/)** > > A major earthquake somewhere in California is virtually a certainty in the next 30 years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Some of the most hazardous regions of the state are also the most populated, including Los Angeles and the San... ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/47 "2018-09-17T03:23:36Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > [1975 Hawaii earthquake - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_Hawaii_earthquake) > > two dead. > > [1868 Hawaii earthquake - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1868_Hawaii_earthquake) > 77 dead. > > Landslides or building collapses or whatever - if the landslide is caused by the earthquake, the earthquake killed the people. > > I mean you can say almost no one ever died in CA in a earthquake- it was the landslide or building collapse - few are actually swallowed whole by cracks. Over the last 149 years earthquakes in Hawaii have been responsible for one confirmed death and another person’s disappearance (the body was never found). If an area has 2 deaths over a period of 149 years, I do not see how any one can state that area has deadly earthquakes. What are the odds? Millions of people have lived on and visited the islands over that period of time and TWO have died from an earthquake. Does South Carolina (60 earthquake deaths) or Montana (32 earthquake deaths) qualify as areas that have “deadly earthquakes”? I would hate to have to tell a life long local resident of South Carolina or Montana that the area they live in is subject to deadly earthquakes. What are the odds? Its like saying I wouldn’t go to Dodger Stadium because they have deadly baseball games there. In 1970 a young fan was killed by a line drive foul ball. One death in 45 years. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/48 "2018-09-17T04:27:13Z")
Just got back from Hawaii (Maui and Kawai) this morning. I would lean towards Maui. Spent a couple of days in Kula, a few days in Hana, and a few days in Lahaina (Ka’anopoli). I’d probably go with Kula, it’s a bit quieter than Lahaina and a lot closer to the “big city” services in Kahalui. In the rain shadow of Haleakala, it did OK through the recent hurricane and tropical storm. The logistics of living in Hana seem daunting to me (although if you have enough money it probably doesn’t matter). Which brings me to the problem in paradise - it’s gonna cost a boatload of money to live there. Plus after talking with a fair number of locals I can see some sort of economic crisis coming - many of the locals are moving to the mainland (or their kids have) because they can’t afford to live in Hawaii anymore. At some point there will be no one to work in the service industry - home prices are like Silicon Valley, but unlike Silicon Valley there is no option of living a hundred miles away and commuting in. ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/49 "2018-09-17T04:34:06Z")
What about the volcano(es) in Hawaii? That recent eruption seems to have caused a lot of damage? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/50 "2018-09-17T05:04:25Z")
> [@blob](#): > > What about the volcano(es) in Hawaii? That recent eruption seems to have caused a lot of damage? The only active volcanoes are on the Big Island of Hawaii. On Oahu, Maui, and Kauai the volcanoes are long extinct. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/51 "2018-09-17T05:43:52Z")
> [@blob](#): > > If you’re talking natural-disaster-free, here is pretty good. If you like the beach, we’ve got beach. You don’t have to go far to be in bushfire-prone areas, though. Yeah, but what about the deadly crocs/snakes/jellyfish etc.? ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/52 "2018-09-17T06:02:03Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Yeah, but what about the deadly crocs/snakes/jellyfish etc.? Nope. Crocs and jellyfish are thousands of miles away. There will be snakes in bushland, but you’d have to go looking for them and they’ll run away if you find them. They hide under stuff, they don’t chase you about and try to eat your lunch. ---
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/53 "2018-09-17T06:03:22Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The only active volcanoes are on the Big Island of Hawaii. On Oahu, Maui, and Kauai the volcanoes are long extinct. Thanks for that info. That one on the telly looked very scary. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/54 "2018-09-17T12:15:42Z")
And it’s not like anyone is [warning](https://www.livescience.com/25293-hawaii-giant-tsunami-landslides.html) folk about [mega-tsunamis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilina_Slump#Mega-tsunamis) in Hawaii. While rare they are “linked to climate change” (1st link). So sleep safe. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/55 "2018-09-17T12:33:30Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Asking out of ignorance, isn’t Cartagena a dangerous drug city? Not particularly, AFAIK but I’m not a Drug Enforcement agent. Being a large port there will be drugs traveling through the area, but that refers to ports the world over. > [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > Are there any regions of the world that have nice climates- here defined as anything between “tropical” and “southern California”- that don’t have a lot of major natural disasters[sup]1[/sup]. Try the area which gave its name to the climate in Southern Cali: the Mediterranean shores. While there are earthquakes, their intensity and frequency vary by location. Italy seems to get a lot bigger ones than other areas (they also have a lot of bad construction, which doesn’t help with the results). Most people in this area go through life without ever going through anything bigger than “uh? what was that?” and, later that night, a news report. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/56 "2018-09-17T13:37:58Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Italy seems to get a lot bigger ones than other areas (they also have a lot of bad construction, which doesn’t help with the results). I thought the earthquakes were the fault of the Italian seismologists 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/57 "2018-09-17T13:41:24Z")
Yeah, for daring to predict them. But the fallen housing is the fault of Italian architects for not being hired by poor people. ---
**Author:** ![teddybound](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e7dd6/32.png) [@teddybound](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teddybound)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/58 "2018-09-17T14:27:44Z")
Singapore is real life Disneyland. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/59 "2018-09-17T15:29:07Z")
They cane people in Disneyland? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2018, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352/60 "2018-09-17T15:49:57Z")
> [@Haunted\_Pasta](#): > > Somewhere in the Mediterranean? (I’ve heard California’s climate described as “Mediterranean.”) Italy and Greece can get a bit volcano-ey, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a serious natural disaster along the French or Spanish Rivieras or elsewhere in the western Med. Maybe one of our European posters knows better? The Med does indeed have a lovely climate, and general absence of major natural disasters (although central Italy is subject to the odd earthquake). It isn’t year round though, you’ll need to head to the equator for that. Southern Mediterranean fairs better for winter (Morocco, Eqypt etc). Boiling hot in the summer though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paradise-on-earth/821352.md?page=4)