Natural disasters are a way of life no matter what part of the world you live in.

Here along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, our primary cause for concern is hurricanes.

These devastating forces of nature are just one of the things South Mississippi residents have learned to live with.

Hurricanes, while potentially devastating, are one of the few natural disasters that come with at least a day or two of fair warning.

Saturday, residents in Madison County were reminded that Mississippi has a lesser-known source of potential destruction, earthquakes. The Madison County Journal reports that two small quakes shook the county Saturday evening. No serious damage was incurred, but it’s a reminder that there’s more than just rain, wind and flooding for Mississippians to be concerned with.

While they are infrequent, there is a record of several other earthquakes occurring in Mississippi over the last century.

As a child I lived in California for a year and a half. In that time I experienced a few earthquakes. Being a native of the South, I had never been through an earthquake before. In fact, I slept through my first earthquake despite my little brother screaming my name while the whole apartment complex shook around us. He told me about it the next morning and if it wasn’t for the evident cracks in the walls and my mother confirming his tale, I wouldn’t have believed him.

I was awake for the subsequent incidents and if I had a choice I would take a hurricane over an earthquake any day.

There’s not much you can do to prepare for an earthquake, except having the typical emergency prep kit available. But unlike hurricanes, quakes strike without warning.

So remember, a natural disaster is possible anywhere in the world.