Brave? Stupid? You be the judge. All we know is that a whole lot of us are in the same boat.

It's a good question, and the answer gives us a nice insight into mankind's absolute refusal to back down from nature, even if it means certain destruction.

If you turn on the news and hear that some city is being devastated by its fourth flood in 20 years, or that a village at the foot of some volcano has just been buried under lava, there is a 100 percent chance that someone in the room will ask, Why don't those people just move?

5 San Francisco, USA -- Earthquake

Continue Reading Below Advertisement

Back in 2001, before 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced a short list of the three most likely disasters to hit America over the coming years. One was a terrorist attack on New York, another was a hurricane in New Orleans, and the third was an earthquake in San Francisco. Note that this was shortly before two of those things actually goddamn happened.

Getty

Continue Reading Below Advertisement

"FEMA: Using our powers for good, and occasionally the lottery."

Withholding speculation as to whether FEMA are in fact wizards, that's a pretty "oh shit" moment right there if you live in San Francisco. It also emphasizes the fact that the continued existence of San Francisco is a testament to mankind's ongoing desire to engage in a staring contest against horrible catastrophe.

And let's be clear, this isn't some sensationalist scare tactic -- at some point, an earthquake is going to devastate the city. The United States Geological Survey says that the chances of a quake of at least 6.7 on the Richter scale hitting San Fran in the next 30 years sits at a cozy 99 percent.

Continue Reading Below Advertisement

And there is nothing we can do about it. It happened in 1906, and in 1989 it gave everyone a preview of what was coming.

pubs.usgs.gov

Yeah, nature, 45 degrees is OK, too, we guess. Whatever you say.

Holy Shit! What Can We Do?

Of course, San Franciscans are more than ready for this kind of thing, right? When you know that your city is prone to devastating earthquakes, then you're going to make sure that earthquakes factor into your building ordinances. Well, it's true that the state of California did decide to start earthquake-proofing all their new buildings ... in 1980. So if you're wondering whether your highrise office is going to withstand the inevitable Big One, you'd just better hope that the building doesn't outdate hair metal.