@Emily Fox Seaton

Hi Emily,

Actually, you know what? On reflection, in Auckland, we do get the occasional storm that might down some trees and power lines, and damage the roofs of houses etc., yes, we had one of those here last year. Even the occasional tornado, but these are rare, years apart, and nothing approaching the ferocity or frequency of what you have in parts of the US. And we definitely don't have a "hurricane season" (!!) like in the southern part of the US. What about earthquakes? Again, in Auckland, very rare and scarcely detectable, I've never felt one (I best only speak for Auckland where I've lived the majority of my life) but further south, yes, tremors are quite regular and occasionally a big earthquake will strike like the one that hit poor old Christchurch (South Island of NZ) in 2011. The average Aucklander will only worry about rain really, as the weather in that respect can be quite changeable. Doesn't bother me in the slightest. And this year, so far, I can only recall one little thunderstorm and it was gone after about 15 minutes.

Just wanted to say also, I'm real sorry you feel unsafe and quite traumatized by the storms you have, Emily. Totally understandable.

As I say, in terms of the weather, Auckland is somewhere I'd definitely recommend as a place to live. But, you're right, it's on the other side of the globe.