Hi, although this post is not an update on the tornado that occurred just over 1 year ago, I did not want to open a new thread to relate recent events. My intention with this post is, on the one hand to urge those reading to stay alert, there is a strong scent of something imminent in the air, or at least that's how I feel. On the other hand I simply need to vent a little. These last few weeks have been quite dramatic, so recounting events to you feels a bit like resting my head on a friendly shoulder and having a good cry.
You may recall that the previous storm in December 2023 left the city in ruins. It took months to get back to normal operation. Well, 3 days ago a new catastrophe completely devastated the city. The first time it was by air (winds of 200km/h), this time it was by land, 400mm of rain fell in just a few hours.
As you can imagine, no city (at least not this one) is prepared to drain such a large volume of water in such a short period of time. The consequence was that the streets were transformed into rivers dragging cars, trucks, containers, pieces of houses, refrigerators, ... in short, everything that the water found in its path.
The sadness you feel as you walk around the city and see how people have lost EVERYTHING is overwhelming. Everywhere you go there is an air of tragedy, of deep anguish.
I must say that once again I have been fortunate. Living in an upper area of the city, the water did not affect me at all. I only had a couple of days without electricity. However, the truth is that I can't get rid of this feeling of guilt every time someone asks me how the storm went. I'm almost embarrassed to say that I didn't suffer any consequences. I know it may sound silly, but that's how it feels, with so much pain and suffering around it feels kind of inappropriate to feel relieved to have been spared from disaster.
I don't know if it is the effect of everything that has happened recently, but I have the feeling that the planet seems willing to seek balance in the only way it can. Just a month ago we had already been warned with a brutal hail storm (hail like tennis balls) that destroyed mostly cars and windows. After that storm (which also had no consequences for me) we were in the city almost 1 day without electricity.
Let me tell you this: every month I contribute to SOTT's Planetary Changes Summary and I watch dozens of catastrophe videos. Still I must say: nothing prepares one to experience these catastrophes live and direct (or in any case, it didn't prepare me).
The bitter spice of this whole affair has been that my family had just come from some difficult days. A week before, on Saturday, March 1, my cat Felix passed away. He was 12 years old, old but healthy, and in one day he collapsed completely. An infection we were told. When we took him to a clinic they found him in very bad shape and 1 hour later he took his last breaths at home surrounded by all of us. What a way to cry! We loved him very much, he was a good, affectionate animal and a great companion. His absence still hurts me.
The last few weeks have been difficult. Sometimes life is like that, it slaps you in the face a couple of times to make you wise up.
The last events pushed me to make a decision that I had been postponing for more than a year. I have been asking for a budget and analyzing alternatives to have an electrical support in my house. Today I closed a deal with a company that will install a support system. When I have it up and running I will let you know how it goes.
On the other hand I am about to subscribe to Starlink because it is a very distressing feeling to be completely disconnected. I have my daughter studying away from home and these days that I was without internet were very distressing. I will also keep you posted on how this project turns out.
Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading and sorry if it's not very helpful to anyone but I needed to get it off my chest and I don't think there is a better place than the forum to be heard.
Some images...
