"Hey kids, why don't you take a look outside?" my uncle said trying to hide his excitment. My two brothers and I were so confused as to why our uncle just came to our house, right before our sleeping time, and asked us to look outside. I glanced over the window, and saw the most beautiful scene: snow particles moving slowly in a circular motion and covering the ground. The snow wasn't the only exciting part: we also got a few day off of school due to the "extreme cold" which was about 0 degrees celsius.
Living in Bethlehem, I've been dreaming about snow in Christmas for a very long time (then I came to Minnesota - but that's another story). Then all of a sudden, on January 10th, 2015 my dream finally came true! The snow that was on the ground actually stayed for more than two hours (like it normally does)!
In previous years, my dad would take us to a town called Halhul, which has a higher elevation than Bethlehem, to play with the snow. But that year, we went to the Manger Square (the area by the Nativity Church) and enjoyed snow in Bethlehem. Most of the people in Bethlehem were there, people of all generations - from toddlers to grandparents, were all playing with the snow around the huge Christmas tree - some people were also throwing snow on the cars (which my parents didn't feel great about).
As much as the snow was exciting, houses all around Bethlehem (and Palestine) had no electricity and no water. The storm was also a cause of more that 75 cases of fires, in-house water floods, and road traffic due cars being stuck.
Even though we didn't have electricity, some houses have heaters that work with coal, so I remember most of my family gathering around the heater and eating dessert that my mom made. The adults were playing cards while my cousins and I were trying to play hide and seek in the dark.
resources:
https://alfajertv.com/news/3902578.html
https://www.maannews.net/news/752716.html
https://alexshams.com/2015/01/10/in-photos-snow-blankets-historic-old-city-of-bethlehem/
This story reminds me of the time that it snowed in Houston, and the whole city shut down because it wasn't prepared. Roads were closed, heating was nonexistent, and people even froze to death. This example also is scary--people were left without water and stranded. These examples of extreme, unpredictable weather are rooted in climate change, and pose a serious threat to the world. If those houses Bethlehem didn't have coal heaters, much worse consequences could've occured.
ReplyDeleteThat's exciting that this snow happened around the holiday season! That reminds me of the polar vortex that hit the Midwest/Northeast in 2013-2014, where school was closed for a very long time due to the cold. I was wondering how long the extreme cold and snow lasted, especially since so many people were affected by fire; floods; and traffic.
ReplyDeleteIt's so interesting to hear about extreme cold affecting communities that are unprepared for it. I grew up in Wisconsin, so it's a given that we need to be prepared to deal with winter weather. It's a good reminder that snow and extreme cold can be extremely hazardous even in small amounts, especially when people are unequipped to deal with it.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fascinating story. I appreciate that you included the negative impacts of unfamiliar geohazards that occur in certain places. It reminded me of when it snowed in my hometown in California. People were outside and playing in the snow. Thanks for sharing!
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