We hear stories of survival and see what it's like to endure raging wildfires, biblical floods and deadly avalanches. Sometimes these death-defying escapes are down to luck, but often its people fighting back against the force of nature — helped by fearless first responders and heroic good Samaritans, who swoop in just in time. Get ready to experience the most extreme elements on earth! In the Grand Canyon, a massive microburst causes a dangerous deluge of mud and rocks to barrel down on a group of kayakers — leaving them in need of urgent medical assistance. In Iowa, a rare derecho storm — similar to an inland hurricane — is caught on camera by a 14-year-old storm junkie. A snowboarder in Utah is left in agony after an off-piste adventure goes wrong — leaving him to rescue himself from a snowy mountain. In a suburban Californian community, wildfires leave families fleeing for their lives. And in Australia, a category three cyclone barrels into a coastal community.

Police officers form a human chain as they attempt the dramatic rescue of a family of four during Tropical Storm Imelda, which unleashed record-breaking floods on Texas.