The effects of snow on human society can be man’s worse enemy or their best friend. It affects people in many ways from bringing a city to its knees where everything comes to a halt or becomes that cities main source of employment in the form of jobs the ski resorts provide and sales that are enjoyed by its retail section. It can make children giggle with glee and delight yet make someone such as seniors or people that suffer from SAD very miserable.
For the most part people enjoy a fresh snowfall and accept that their part of the world will be covered in a white blanket for a certain amount of time but this goes to show the very adaptability that the human society possess.
Positive aspects of snow
Snow is everyone’s friend when that first fall of snow covers the ground. There is so much positive anticipation from adults as well as children. Children vision snowmen, snowball fights, sledding, skating and just all around fun, even the adults share in this enthusiasm. The outside looks cold and clean while the inside becomes much cozier and sitting in front of the fireplace much more special. Everyone looks forward to the first skiing of the year.
Economy
Retailers love snow as they see their sales escalating as soon as the snow hits. These come in the form of winter clothing, winter boots, snow shovels, snow tires, insulating equipment and the list goes on. There are increased sales in snowplows and snow machinery. Then there are snowmobiles and sleds. The positive side for retailers is too many to mention all of them, but snow is a very big boost to the economy. Ski resorts look forward to snow as this is how they make their living during the winter and there is no lack of customers. So snow does have its positive sides. But as the snow lingers and more accumulates on the ground some of the enthusiasm wanes and you are left thinking about snow in a different way.
The downside of snow
Snow can prove to be some cities worse nightmare if too much of it falls at once such as the Snow Belt of the United States. It can bring huge airports to a standstill as well as the city itself. Traffic is non-existent unless it is by foot and nothing is moving. Water mains break, which can leave a city without water. Rural areas suffer perhaps in a different way. Their neighbors probably live miles away which makes it difficult to get help if it is needed. Farmers with live stock can lose a whole herd if the snow is deep enough and the temperatures are cold enough. Snow prevents them from accessing the cattle to feed them. Snow can cut of all supplies to cities and rural communities which can be treacherous.
Snow and seniors
Seniors and snow does not mix very well. Their access to the outside can be cut off completely making it difficult to bring fresh food into the home. If colder temperatures accompany a large snow fall seniors suffer from hypothermia if they do not have enough heat in their homes. The older generation can suffer terrible living in such circumstances. Sometimes there are fires caused by the very electric heaters that they seek to provide warmth. As the cold snowy weather continues people fall sick from being cooped up in their houses and not being able to access fresh air. Colds and pneumonia takes a toll as winter drags on leaving the elderly at a great disadvantage.
Blizzards
Besides heavy snowfall there are also blizzards to contend with. These can be extremely dangerous for anyone traveling on the roads with no warning of the upcoming storm. Many people have lost their lives due to blizzards. They get lost in white outs that blizzards bring and try to find help, only to end up freezing to death. Many people that try to keep the roads open follow the same fate by losing their sense of direction and freezing to death.
Snow can show how wonderful the human race can adapt. There are more that survive snow storms than those that lose their lives. The children enjoy it regardless of how much that falls. Snow can determine how well a city can cope to keep their citizens moving and if this fails they find other ways to cope with the problem and it can determine the economy of a city during the winter months. What other element on earth has so much variable power?
