A mere look will not suffice. A thoughtful study will barely do. You need a generous dose of wit and wisdom. I’ve become addicted to the Weather Channel. Ever since Hurricane Rita devastated Southeast Texas in 2005, I’ve learned to trust the information that I receive from that vital news source. The Weather Channel was kept on practically 24/7 during our terrible encounter with Hurricane Ike in 2008. I trust the news and I also have the sad memories of my firsthand accounts. I did not obey the mandatory evacuations for our county: either time.
My boyfriend was not willing to leave his home, horses, cattle, dogs. He stayed behind to protect his water well business too. Weather played a major role in his ultimate decision both years. We were lucky. We’re still alive. So are the animals. The hurricanes themselves were brutal. Bad weather is terrifying. It is exciting and intriguing but ultimately ~ it is truly terrifying. Most people chose to evacuate whether they could afford to or not. The threat of bad weather affected their decision. They chose to flee. It was a wise decision.
“When Weather Changed History” is one of my all time favorite television programs. The Weather Channel aired a weeklong special on tornadoes recently. It was electrifying. One particular town had been heavily damaged. Greensburg, Kansas suffered an EF5 tornado in 2007. That particular episode showed how the catastrophe had affected the populace of that town. They decided they were going to rebuild the town.
Greensburg truly became a “green” town. I wanted to know a little more about the true meaning of “green” as it pertains to architecture. Sustainablebusiness.com gave me lots of useful information. More than I actually needed though. The main concept “green” deals with is environmentally-friendly design. That impressive show on The Weather Channel pointed out that the town of Greensburg used the wind in order to rebuild their town. The same wind that had previously destroyed it.
Wild weather has also affected populations in the past. I know this from my five years as a Spanish teacher. Theories were tossed into the air by various experts. Different textbooks and references materials usually made remarks that a dwindling food supply and/or one or more catastrophic weather events had contributed to the decline or total obliteration of advanced indigenous civilizations in the Hispanic World.
Weather has affected other important populations too. Severe weather conditions could have caused the extinction of many different species ranging from prehistoric dinosaurs to insignificant insects. We have documentation regarding some of these cases and educated guesses regarding events that could have happened in antiquity.
Weather has affected modern populations in a very vital way. Once people have been exposed to the negative side of weather, those individuals are less likely to be unprepared for future disasters that experts seem so eager to predict. People make sure they have enough food, water and emergency provisions. They have escape routes and routines ~ securely in place. People make certain they have fuel for their vehicles and they try to maintain those vehicles so they will be ready for any weather emergency that could arise.
Weather affects people’s choices. Fewer people will probably vacation in areas prone to hurricanes during the height of hurricane season. Why risk your life just so you can enjoy blue skies, blue waters and the absolute beauty of nature? Some people in Southeast Texas have chosen not to rebuild on the beaches that were nearly decimated. The wild weather in 2008 caused many people to move away from this region. Permanently.
The weather does have a very strong impact on people. Many people no longer look at the weather as some benign being. They show a renewed respect for the raw power and the horrible fury that wild weather can unleash upon unsuspecting human beings and animals. The weather will continue to affect various populations all over the world for generations to come. Due to the damage to our ozone layer, we may see many more frequent outbursts of angry weather ~ heading straight for us.
