Monday's
Storms
“This
is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us
resolve that we will not leave our children a world where oceans rise
and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our land.” Barack
Obama
Night
before last was spent by most people in the southern-most states
huddled in basements, bathrooms or hall closets with flashlights and
battery operated radios. It was not a good night. Some of us did not
live to see morning. I have resided in Birmingham for thirty-four
years now, and this is the first time I have felt truly afraid. Oh,
yes, we've had tornadoes all that time. In fact, in April, 2011, I
stood on my front porch and watched one a mile wide drag slowly
through the north side of town, hurling mail, insulation and roofing
shingles from Mississippi and Tuscaloosa into my yard. But never have
we had a night when the warning sirens went off seven or eight times
in the space of about three hours. Trees were down all over my
neighborhood and power was out for almost 24 hrs.
The
telling thing for me was Liza's response. Usually when there is
thunder, she barks and runs through the house looking for the source
of the racket. Monday night, she wedged herself under my arm, under
the cover and could not calm down. Each time the sirens went off
brought a new round of agitated woofing, but from under cover. These
storms are getting more powerful and when the conditions are right
for super cells, as they were Monday night, they are deadly
dangerous.
Somehow,
we must come together to change the way we live in relation to the
earth. Perhaps we are not the single cause of global warming, but we are
contributing greatly to it. And when I say 'we' I mean all of humanity, and
not just America. We must become not only proactive, but personally
responsible for reducing our own carbon footprint. Monday's storms
convinced me that not only will our children suffer the consequences
of our indifference, but we ourselves will pay the price as well.
Let's get serious about saving this planet we love.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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