What a winter!
Worldwide there have been record highs, record lows, record snow storms, record ice storms and the jet stream has shifted.
Locally here in Seattle we had a record windstorm that knocked out more power than any time in history. Then we had snow and hail that jammed the roads once, twice, and now three times. We lost power for 4 days due to wind and then we lost water for a day because the cold snapped a water main. Apparently a sewer main also broke and leaked sewage under the streets for who knows how long before the city put in a temporary replacement; thankfully we never lost our toilettes :)
Are all these events one-time occurrences or is this a sign of things to come?
Since I have yet another snow day, I thought I would post photo's from the windstorm back in December. This is some of the damage to our apartment complex. The situation would have been exciting if we had not lost power for days when it was 30 degrees outside.
For some discussion on the topic, check out Confab from December 21, 2006.
Since we were not harmed, I was able to wax philosophically on the event. Losing power for so long got me thinking about city living.
- how dependent we are on our systems working properly
- a little breakdown leads to panic
- why are we so damn cheap that we dont prepare?
- People dont even notice unless it happens to them
After this little taste, I thank god that my family has not had to face New Orleans or Iraq or Afghanistan. With all of our comforts and distractions, it is too easy to forget about those millions of people who struggle each year with real disasters.
Wet weather softened the ground so the wind was able to totally uproot trees instead of bending them
and we arent talking about small trees - imagine this sucker knocking on your bedroom at 3am
Other trees lost limbs - which closed roads, smashed cars, and toppled power lines
The wind was so strong, it bent steel! I assume there was a wind-break on this tennis-court fence but who knows.
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