Saturday, January 30, 2010

"Winter storm hits mid-South hard"

This article describes how the huge storm affected many states in various ways. This storm hit the Southeast and sections of the Northeast, it coated almost everything with ice which resulted in many people losing power to their house and also in many places topped everything off with a nice dosing of snow. A city in North Carolina almost doubled it's record snowfall, and this was on top of one-quarter to one-half and inch of ice. Many cities advised people to avoid all unnecessary travel. Along with the ice and snow, wind was another pressing issue, it threatened to topple over trees and power lines. This storm reached many states including the Carolinas, Virginia, Oklahoma, Texas and Georgia. Dallas, Texas was at a cold twenty-six degrees! With the cancelations and dangers adding up, this storm was not something to think about lightly.

This storm also affected us here in Minnesota, to me it is crazy to think about how a storm can cover such a wide distance all at one time. This storm was a danger, with the freezing rain and ice, driving and even walking quickly became difficult and stressful. After the ice arrived, we had strong winds with snow falling, this made things even more dangerous causing blizzard like conditions. For me, not being an extremely experienced driver, this storm was an extreme stress for me and I did not find it enjoyable. When people hear about this storm and experience it, I hope that they think about global warming. I personally find the topic of global warming to be a touchy subject. I do believe that global warming is happening, but no where near to the extent that the media has made it sound. I know that we are harming the earth with cars and pollution and waste, and this is causing global warming. However, I believe that how the temperatures have over the past few years been above average can be blamed on the fact that it is just part of a cycle. I know that some people are only hearing about global warming through the news or only by certain peoples' opinions, without doing any research on it themselves. Through this, they may be getting false information or false impressions. But when I hear of Texas being only twenty-six degrees, I have to wonder what is going through the heads of people who extremely do believe in global warming, or how they would describe why this kind of cold weather is happening. It is just something that people should really thing about... something that people need to decide where they stand and in what they believe. I also hope that more specifically with this storm, that people have gotten through okay and are safe.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

"Haitian authorities record 72,000 deaths from earthquake"

More than 72,000 bodies have been recovered since the earthquake in Haiti (just in one city by the name of Port-au-Prince), according the Prime Minister. The death toll in this city ranges from 100,000 to 150,000 people. Even with these numbers, people are not giving up hope, they're still praying, one woman was pulled out of rubble alive after seven days. After being desperately low on supplies (food and water) some has finally arrived, now, just like everything else, is just the issue of distributing it. Along with supplies, soldiers and police officers have also arrived with happy and upset remarks. Medical attention continues to be one of the main issues, now with limited instruments, buildings/space, IV equipment, surgical supplies, sterilizers, no electricity and no running water, the challenges continue. With $220 million, soldiers, and supplies sent, adoptions being made and lots of prayers, the situation in Haiti is improving and progress is being made.

In my opinion, this article was amazing! It's wonderful to hear that the situation in Haiti is improving and things are starting to get better. Some food and water has been sent, also some soldiers are in Haiti right now and there are more on the way, it's heart lifting to know that help is being sent to those who need it. It is not all good news however, the article is titled "...72,000 deaths..." I had no idea that there were that many people who suffered from the earthquake, it's an unbelievable amount. It's also hard to know that even though there are supplies being sent to Haiti, the roads are so full of rubble that getting to the people who need it can result to be impossible. Along with supplies, many soldiers have been sent, which was a wonderful decision in my mind! From what I've heard and understood about the whole situation, it sounds like people there could use all of the help they can get, so for the soldiers to be sent there is terrific. I'm not quite sure why some people are not happy that soldiers were sent to help, I guess they think that supplies would be more beneficial than people, but I think that both would help out. The medical part of the challenges in Haiti are obviously at the top of the list. With not having enough of anything, not being able to use the actual hospital building, and in the buildings they are using, not having running water or electricity, the city of Port-au-Prince is really having a hard time. Hopefully with soldiers being there, they can help out and get electricity and running water back, also with help from around the world maybe they can get the medical equipment they need as well. People have made an amazing response to this earthquake by helping out all they can, in any possible way including adopting children, sending money and praying. As for me, I will continue sending my prayers and hope for the best for Haiti.