Has anyone ever lost machines due to natural disasters?

[AZ*]

Not a "natural" disaster, but a disaster nonetheless on a very personal level. Floods, tornadoes and forest fires make for big news stories, but a house fire barely merits mention on the local news. Yet the loss for the affected family can be just as great as if it had been part of a major natural disaster. Our home was destroyed by fire 25 years ago. Nearly all of our possesions were destroyed including most of my phonographs. I was able to salvage and restore a few, save a few mechanical bits, but many were wiped out including what were once beautiful machines like the Edison Fireside Model B and Victor M rear mount pictured below.

The good news is that I have rebuilt my collection, and it is better than before. But this is just stuff. The toughest part of that experience was telling our 11 year old son that our precious pet cat perished in the fire. Fortunately, no humans were harmed.