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 Cat Walking Away From A Volcanic Eruption

Image credits: Attrip

#5 A Dog And Her 2 Puppies Were Pulled Alive From The Rubble 124 Hours After The Earthquake In Turkey

Image credits: ertology

#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 Dog Carries Whole Bag Of Dog Food After Hurricane Harvey

Image credits: Olepat

#8 Rainbow And Tornado

Image credits: Gainsborough-Smythe

#9 House Frozen By Lake Erie During This Week’s Blizzard In Buffalo

Image credits: hmchl

“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 A Photo Of Incarcerated Firefighters Resting After Fighting A Socal Wildfire. They Get $2-$5/Day For That Work

Image credits: jeremotographs

#11 The Fourth Largest City Of Sweden, Uppsala, Is Currently Flooded. The Swedes Aren’t That Concerned

Image credits: PpelTaren

#12 When You Wake Up To 40″ – 44″ Of Snow In One Night

Image credits: ledgendary

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 So Yesterday I Was On My Way To Phoenix And I Captured One Of The Craziest Photos!!

Image credits: jsab73

#14 Firenado!!!!

Chillicothe, Missouri

Image credits: changemyname

#15 Storm Chasin In West Texas

Image credits: laura plant

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 Cal-Fire Firefighter From The Paradise, Ca Wildfire Finds Missing Dog, Helps Reunite With Family

Image credits: bananabrownie

#17 Getting Away From An Erupting Volcano Today

Image credits: iweirdness

#18 Oregon Wildfires Making It Look Straight Apocalyptic

Image credits: RavenRosie

“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 The Power Of Hurricane Force Winds

Image credits: imgur.com

#20 Rare Typhoon Sky As Seen From A Subway Exit

Image credits: universesplaything

#21 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

#22 Overnight Storm Winds In Ga Moved A House Into The Road

Image credits: Delphine11

#23 Tornado In Southern Romania, Today

Image credits: vladgrinch

#24 Man Sits On Bench With His Dog During Hurricane Harvey

Image credits: Jaredrap

#25 Tree Struck By Lightning Burning From Inside Out

Image credits: Ridgeville Township Volunteer Fire Department

#26 Eruption Happening In St. Vincent Today

Image credits: Cereys

#27 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

#28 Valencia Right Now After The Floods

Image credits: Prazf

#29 Last Day On The Line After 6 Years In Wildfire. It Has Been An Honor. Stay Safe!

Image credits: CanisPecuarius

#30 Blizzard Blew The Man Door On My Garage Open Yesterday

Image credits: PCDevine

#31 Not The Beautiful Florida View Anyone Imagined! Courtesy Of Hurricane Ian

Image credits: dragracedave

#32 Roads In Turkey After The 7.8 Earthquake

Image credits: esberat

#33 20ft Shipping Container Found Wrapped Around A Tree After A Flood

Image credits: vahlalala

#34 A Kangaroo Rushes Past A Burning House In Lake Conjola, Nsw

Image credits: unbreaKwOw

#35 This Is The Power Of An Avalanche!

Image credits: IdahoSavage

#36 The Ongoing Eruption Of Mt Etna In Italy

Image credits: Risingmagpie

#37 A Street Completely Ripped Apart By The Floods In Germany

Image credits: spookyspirelli

#38 Before And After Hurricane Lan [fort Myers Florida]

Image credits: AutomaticAd5811

#39 Flooding In Auckland, Nz

Image credits: BabaYadaPoe

#40 Hurricane Damaged Boardwalk

Image credits: aryeh95

#41 Green Sky During A Storm In South Dakota

Image credits: twistedskystudios

#42 My Aunt Took This Picture Of A Tornado At My Grandparents Farm That Touched Down Yesterday. South Dakota

Image credits: ManicFirestorm

#43 3pm In Port Macquarie, Nsw During The Wildfires

Image credits: 1s8w2MILtway

#44 Wind Turbine After Being Hit By A Tornado

Image credits: earthmoonsun

#45 Sunrise Over The San Fransisco Bay Today. Pier 45 Is On Fire At The Moment

Image credits: Palana

#46 Waiting For A Fish Fry In Western New York After A Blizzard!

Image credits: robbo4025

#47 It’s Currently -35°c Outside. The Water In The Air Freezes Making An Ice Fog

Image credits: MightyKin

#48 It’s Raining Reason Again

Image credits: DbleDble

#49 Sister In A Bright Orange Work Suit Blending In With The #mallacoota Sky

Image credits: brendanh_au

#50 6000 People Isolated After An Avalanche Obstructed A Tunnel In Italy

Image credits: Meteo & Radar Italia

#51 There Was An Earthquake This Morning

Image credits: FilipB_

#52 Huge Earthquake Just Hit Taiwan

Image credits: IvoryGuru

#53 Record Flooding In Seoul, South Korea. 336mm/13in Of Rain In A Day

Image credits: King_Shami

#54 Dealing With Insurance Claims Adjusters After Hurricane Laura

Image credits: droddysgirl

#55 Flood Reporter

Image credits: IllustriousHurry2380

#56 Pics I Took From The Tornado Destruction In Mayfield Kentucky. (I Live Here)

Image credits: Ok-Structure5772

#57 Pics I Took During Hurricane Harvey. Bayou Was About 25ft High

Image credits: Omnimite

#58 Itap Of The Lightning Through My Window During A Recent Thunderstorm

Image credits: Live-Guarantee-1893

#59 My Mountain Caught On Fire At 3am…. Yep, That’s My House

Image credits: CaptainProton16

#60 Hurricane Ian

Image credits: violetjeanwalsh

#61 Tornado Near Naxos, Greece

Image credits: reddit.com

#62 Tornado Ripped Through Our Neighborhood Yesterday

Image credits: Andyman7777

#63 Flooding On The Highway (Dvp) In Toronto Due To Heavy Rainfall

Image credits: SublimeSunshine217

#64 Parents Retired This March And Bought Their Dream Ranch House In The Co Mountains On 400 Acres

Now There’s A 4000 Acres Fire That’s 0% Contained About A Mile From Them. No Evacuation Order For Them Yet, But We Expect It’s Coming

Image credits: i-hate-choosing-name

#65 There Was A Tornado Today

No other houses were damaged too bad, tornado just so happed to touch down right here.

Another part of town was pretty much leveled though

Image credits: Raging-Badger

#66 Dad’s Coworker’s Truck Struck By Lightning Last Night

Image credits: stowboy1995

#67 Raining In Lisbon Flooded The Only Exit From The Train Station In Algés

Image credits: GustaQL

#68 My Entire Neighborhood Is Submerged In Flood Water With Raw Sewage In It

My neighborhood Laurel Meadows in Sarasota Florida is completely flooded from Hurricane Debby and the water level is rising day by day despite the storm being over. Many of us are homeless now, cannot access our medications inside our homes, and truly have no idea what to do. Worst of all- it seems like no one knows what is happening to us.

Image credits: NoMoreScaryDreams

#69 Now I Have To Wear My Mask For Wildfires Too. This Was At 11 Am While I Was At Work

Image credits: quitecrafty

#70 My Parents Lost Their House And Cars To A Tornado Last Month

The house was moved 13 feet backwards, off of the foundation with my parents in it. My dad said that the house was at about a 45 degree angle before the roof gave way. My parents were in the bathroom (the door on the far right) when it hit. The bathroom and storage room were the only rooms left with the roof intact. Thankfully, they’re okay. Our dog came out without a scratch. She didn’t make it into the bathroom with my parents in time, and somehow survived in the living room (this photo and the previous one).

Image credits: CtrlAltMeaning

#71 We Lost Our New Home Of 4 Months. Hurricane Ida

Image credits: trillnoel

#72 Uniformed Group Just Came Up And Stole Half The Fire Relief Supplies At The Santa Anita Racetrack

Image credits: totpot

#73 So I Was At School Today And It Turns Out While I Was Gone My House Lit On Fire

Image credits: TardMcGee

#74 Got A Call From The Fire Department

Image credits: Automaticdealz

#75 I Lost Everything In A House Fire This Morning And Narrowly Escaped. My Life Has Been So Hard Lately And I Didn’t Think It Could Get Any Worse But Apparently I Was Very Wrong

Image credits: verbl17

#76 Humidifier Caught Fire In Baby’s Room. Baby Survived

Image credits: Gubble_Buppie

#77 My Shower After Helene

Image credits: Willeyy

#78 While Parents Were Evacuating From The Hurricane, Their House Caught Fire

Image credits: reddit.com

#79 A Tornado Came Through My City Thursday. This Is My House

Image credits: fanzel71

#80 Small Tornado Tossed A Tree Through My Parents House! Summerfield Florida!

Image credits: Lroy46

#81 Nothing Like Camping In A Tornado

Image credits: McPostyFace

#82 First House. Just Closed 6 Months Ago

Image credits: NeuroticWombat

#83 My Neighborhood Is Currently Blocked Off Because Of A Flood

Image credits: sonicparadigm

#84 Roof Leak Flooded My Car While I Was Away, Came Back To This

Image credits: SauceTickler

#85 My House Got Flooded (Second Picture Is The Aftermath)

Image credits: Freebieeso

#86 Winds Bent Trampoline In Half

Image credits: thAsudzbub

#87 Before And After The Recent Storm In Dubai. I Now Have A Lake View Apartment :d

Image credits: mrjamiemcc

#88 The Way A Lighting Strike Knocked Bark Off Of My Tree

Image credits: CobraJackhammers

#89 Itap Of The Only Way Out Of Our Neighborhood After Hurricane Sally

Image credits: monkeyCmonkeyDoo630

#90 Parents House Caught Fire And We Lost 2 Family Pet Dogs

Image credits: JyJellyPants-Grape

#91 The Bakery In Our Town Caught On Fire

Image credits: Minotaur830

#92 Came Back To Check The House After The Neighborhood Flooded From The Hurricane. Wasn’t Expecting My Car To Look Like This…

Image credits: Mangofert1

#93 Post Hurricane

Image credits: zoolander-bluesteel

#94 My Apartment After Hurricane Isaias (Philadelphia)

Image credits: intelligentquote0

#95 A Hailstorm Destroyed Our Roof And Insurance Doesn’t Pay Because The Hail Was A Bigger Diameter Than What’s Covered

Image credits: D-Beyond

#96 Welp Kids. Forgot To Roll Up My Window Before A Blizzard

Image credits: justconfusedinCO

#97 My Friend’s Garage The Day After Hurricane Sally

Image credits: lovelyloafers

#98 A Hurricane Flooded My Parents’ Business

Image credits: reddit.com

#99 2 Years Ago vs. Today. Hurricane Laura Felled 5 Large Trees In Our Yard

Image credits: MrsVoussy

#100 Hurricane Ian Soaked Half The Dining Room

Image credits: thebananaperson1