Some states here in the U.S. are like that as well, namely southern states. Where I live (in the northwest) there's lots of forest, mountains, rivers, streams, creeks, etc. Don't know if I've told you, but I live in the state of Oregon (it's right above California). About thunderstorms, yeah, we rarely get them. Maybe one every couple of years or so. We are right next to the Pacific Ring of Fire, however, which puts us at great risk for massive earthquakes. Other than that and a few floods we get here and there, we're disaster free.
Yeah, I can only imagine. Someone in my family went to a college recently to major in nursing, and got kicked out because apparently, 89% isn't a high enough grade for them to keep you. It can't be any lower than 90%. However, this isn't the case for things that aren't in demand; only for the careers that are.