We have a winter here. But North Amerikan has THE Winter.
My knees might got frozen this morning while on really short 'Sumawalk, just about a mile, but they'd thawn once I got inside in my warm home with power on and thick insulation all over. I have specific clothes to protect me and my children got to school in warm school taxi. Our water pipes will not freeze, and even if there would be long power cuts, I'm able to keep our house warm safely with fireplaces, which don't let carbon monoxide inside. All our cars have specific winter tyres so we can drive safely, and roads are well maintaned and clear of snow (because we have paid my cousin for doing that, he has equipment to do that).
I have fridge full of food and freezers, too. And in case of power cut I can just put stuff from freezer outside, they keep well there in - 27C. I know how to cook with my woodburning stove. I know my relatives are all safe.
I'm lucky one, in so many ways.
It seems amazing that people in one of the world's largest economies can freeze to death because of a power cut, but then I got to thinking about my new house and how we would cope if the electricity went out, and the answer is not well. In our old house there were 3 fires, we had piles of coal, logs and kindling and fir cones and firelighters to hand always, and solar lanterns and a bottled gas stove to cook on. The only things we have here are lots of thermal clothing and down coats and a handful of candles! Maybe time to think about making ourselves a little more prepared and buying an indoor heater that runs on gas cannisters or a small generator.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that even if these extreme weather conditions are still rare, they are more extreme now. It snows in Texas used to mean there were few flakes in the air. Now its knee high layer of frozen ice for weeks. Dry summer - it's not rained in five years...
ReplyDeleteOh for sure, it's definitely getting more polarised, and places that are used to cold winters seem to either be getting much milder or much colder. If the planet is getting warmer I will just have to move further north!
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